YuGiOh: Sacred Darkness
by ForceWalker
Summary: When Kaosu Cross receives a Dark Magician Girl card from a mysterious old man, his life is forever changed. Now, as questions arise about his existence, and as the forces of chaos come down on him, he must learn to master the darkness within him to defeat these forces and find the answers he seeks. RETURNED FROM THE GRAVE
1. An Unexpected Gift

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

_A/N: This chapter went through several edits, but only minor ones. For those who read this, I apologize. For those who read this before the edit, read it again. The edits are mostly in the first part. Thank you for your time._

An Unexpected Gift

His breath was ragged, coming in short stops as he was on his hands and knees, keeping his body from crashing down onto the sand below him. Sweat covered his entire body as it soaked into the very cotton that he wore, sticking to his body, even chafing against his brown skin, adding to the pain he already felt course through his body. However, he persevered through it all, and slowly, painfully, but surely, he stood up to his feet, and amidst the sea of sand, he glared down his opponent fiercely as his brown hair framed his face, while that very opponent sneered in malevolent joy.

"I always knew you were a fool." The evil force snickered. "But I never thought you were this much of a fool. Oh well, at least you'll be out of my life for good now. Then I'll be free to overthrow the Pharaoh, and take my rightful place as the true ruler of this realm!"

"I won't let you!" The young hero gritted his teeth. "I'll die before I'll let you destroy the Pharaoh!"

"That can be arranged." The evil force chuckled malevolently.

"You really think it's going to be that easy to just destroy the Pharaoh?" The young hero asked. "I'm saving you from yourself, for you'll end up getting yourself killed."

"That's where you're wrong!" The evil force chuckled maniacally, his blood red eyes gleaming dangerously. "I am more powerful than even the most powerful of magicians or Guardians,! And once the Pharaoh has finished defeating the Dark One, with that very power, along with my three new powerful beasts that you so graciously 'donated' to me, I will swoop in and overwhelm the Egyptian Gods, destroying the Pharaoh once and for all! And soon the entire world will follow!"

"I doubt that…" The young hero chuckled with strain, his chocolate brown eyes glowing brightly. "I have faith that if it came down to you and the Pharaoh, you will fall before him."

"Then why do you insist on getting in my way if that is what you believe?" the evil force snarled.

"Because this is my battle." The young hero answered simply. "You and I are connected, that much I know, and you know that as well. And now that you have taken the path of chaos, you must be stopped. I am the only person to have the power to stop you aside from the Pharaoh, and since he is fighting the Dark One, it falls upon to me to stop you! And if it means banishing BOTH of us to the Shadow Realm in the end, then so be it!"

"Tch, once a fool, always a fool." The evil force stated. "True, you have a power that truly rivals that of the Pharaoh's, but my darkness far surpasses yours. And once me and my beasts banish you to the Shadow Realm, I'll finish my original task. Although…perhaps I'll take your love first. Forcing her to bed, seeing her squirm and beg as I pleasure myself, and then destroy her will be a great joy indeed, knowing that you can do nothing in hell while I tear her apart limb from…"

He never finished that sentence as a sudden gust of energy barreled against him. Not expecting it, he was knocked off his feet and fell back onto the sand. Surprised, he stood back up to his feet, only to see a powerful purple aura surrounding the young hero, creating ripples of energy around him. His head was bent down, his eyes shadowed by his hair, teeth gritted as his mouth formed a raging snarl.

"I won't…let you…HURT HER!" the young hero roared, raising his head with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "You will pay for even suggesting that very idea! You have brought upon your own doom! Prepare to face my ultimate creature!" He raised his right hand in the air, the aura surrounding him beginning to stream towards there, gathering as he closed his eyes and began speaking.

"Oh, being of black magic, I beckon you. Hear my call, and rise as you do. Deem myself worthy, then show my foe your fury. Defend all with your power, and defeat my opponent with a magic shower. When you awake, leave chaos in your wake. Let your power of darkness be used for light as I summon you for this fight."

After he finished his chant, his hand was completely covered in the black aura, and with a mighty roar, he threw his arm downward, the black aura detaching from his hand in the process and striking the ground. Once it did, it immediately formed a swirling black vortex, several colored bolts of lightning coming out of it. Suddenly, a figure began to emerge from the vortex, and as it did, the sky darkened ominously as the young man called its name.

"Come forth…MAGICIAN OF BLACK CHAOS!"

Rising out of the vortex, the one summoned looked like a man, much taller than his summoner with light blue skin, black markings under his mouth and eyes, which were colored red with yellow irises. He was garbed in tight fitting, dominantly black cloths with light red highlights all over his wardrobe. His long black hair reached down past his waist as he wore a menacing headdress with the same color scheme as his cloths, two pointed horns pointing downward at the ends. His arms were crossed over his chest, holding a black magical staff in them that had a large bluish-green orb at the very tip. His expression seemed emotionless; however, his eyes were as determined as one could be. He stood in front of his master, as if to protect, waiting for him to give his command.

"I won't let you hurt the one I love." The young hero proclaimed. "She's going to become the greatest magician of all time, and I'll be damned if I let you take that away from her! My Magician of Black of Chaos will stop you once and for all!"

"Impressive." The evil force stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "To think that you harbor such a powerful beast within you, and can summon it with such ease without a DiaDhank to focus and contain your power…you've definitely improved your power considerably. However, that doesn't change the fact that you will fall before me! I will not waste my new pets on you however, for that will lose my element of surprise against the Pharaoh if someone sees them! So therefore, I shall call forth another beast, one of my personal favorites!"

A dark purple aura suddenly surrounded him, as he suddenly clapped his hands together as if though in prayer, and closed his eyes, falling deep into a trance. He began chanting in an unknown language, the aura around him growing larger with every word spoken. Suddenly, a small purple ball of energy formed behind him, and as he chanted more and more words, it suddenly grew larger and larger. And suddenly, it was now a massive vortex, four times larger than its creator, and that very person spoke up.

"Dragon of darkness, heed my call. Obey my command, and all shall fall. Arise from you dominion, and show my foe domination. Let darkness swallow light, and bring me victory in this fight. Show this fool true fear as the end inevitably nears. Show all your mighty roar as I summon you, the dragon of lore!"

The vortex behind him suddenly burst forth with darkness, a giant foot stepping out as the evil summoner snapped his eyes wide open, bringing his clapped hands up before bringing them down to his sides as he called the beast's name.

"DARK ARMED DRAGON!"

At the call of his name, the beast emerged from the vortex, howling into the night sky as its dark glory be could seen fully. It was a giant, metal grey dragon with a menacing helmet with two spiked horns covering its face, glowing orange eyes giving it sight. A large, scythe-like blade protruded from its back, with smaller scythe blades protruding from its neck as well. It wore spiked shoulder pads and wrist bands, and guillotine blades also protruded from its wrists and shoulders, as well as screws coming out of its elbows and knees. It had razor sharp claws, and the end of its long tail resembled a battering ram, with curved spikes coming out of it from all sides. The Dark Armed Dragon roared once again before setting its sights on the Magician of Black Chaos, who only stared back at the dragon with his emotionless expression.

"My Dark Armed Dragon is one of the most powerful Shadow monsters to ever exist!" the evil summoner cackled. "Its power is unmatched, and so is mine. Your puny magician doesn't stand a chance!"

"Size isn't everything, and looks can be deceiving." the young hero smirked. "And if your power is unmatched, then how come you're taking so long to destroy me? It seems like I'm really giving you a hard time."

The evil summoner growled. "Irrelevant. Soon, with my powers, my secret weapons, and my soon-to-be army of monsters, even the Pharaoh will bow before me! Nothing will stop me…least of all you!"

"That's where you're wrong." The young hero stated determinedly. "True, your Dark Armed Dragon is powerful, but you don't even care for it. You would throw it away in a heartbeat for a more powerful monster. I may not be the strongest, the richest, the nicest, or even the friendliest guy in this world, but I have a connection with my monster that far surpasses your dragon's strength, a connection that gives us strength you can't imagine, and together, we will stop you! The Pharaoh has his own battle to fight with the Dark One, and if I let you get involved, it may be the end of all of us. I will stop you here and now!"

"How naïve!" The evil summoner facepalmed, laughing maniacally. "You honestly think your 'connection' will stop my Dark Armed Dragon? Soon, I will be the most powerful force the world has ever known! I will wipe out you and the Pharaoh in one swift stroke! Your magic pales in comparison to mine! And once I take back what is mine from you, all will fall before me!"

"If that's so, then please go ahead." The young hero challenged. "You'll be surprised at what I'm capable of."

"Very well…" the evil summoner replied.

The two foes stared each other down, purple and black auras enveloping them as their monsters readied themselves: the Dark Armed Dragon raised its claws threateningly, while the Magician of Black Chaos thrust his arms forward, clasping his staff between his hands.

"Let the Shadow Game continue!"

The Dark Armed Dragon charged forward, its feet pounding and roar deafening as the Magician of Black Chaos took flight, jumping off the ground and flying towards the dragon. The Dark Armed Dragon reared back its head, a sphere of dark energy forming in its hand, with the Magician pulled back its staff, the tip being enveloped in a forming sphere of darkness. The two monsters stared each other dead in the eye, and in that very moment, their masters shouted out their lungs.

"ATTACK!"

The Dark Armed Dragon threw his hand forward, firing his Dark Sonic Sphere, while the Magician of Black of Chaos thrust his staff forward, firing his Chaos Scepter Blast. The two powerful spheres of darkness collided, and soon the two were at war, struggling to destroy the other and reach their target. Suddenly, the two could not take any more strain, and they self-destructed instantly. Both of the summoners shielded themselves as both light and darkness completely consumed them.

* * *

><p><strong>5,000 Years Later<strong>

The sun shone down brightly, its light giving way to the warm day that was now upon everyone. The summer breeze lightly struck against the trees, their leaves pulling out from the stems and flying through the sky. As they were carried by the wind to their destination, they passed by a medium-sized school building, two stories long and colored grey all over with blue highlights everywhere. And in this building was a certain classroom on the second floor, white walls and grey floor tiles adorning it. Desks were lined up in rows, nearly all of them nearly aligned. Windows graced the left side of the room, allowing anyone to get a gorgeous view from above. In this room, nearly every student in the class had formed a circle around a pair of desks, intently watching as two students a card game. However, one student did not take part in all of this.

He was a young male, roughly about 17 years old, with shoulder length brown hair spiked at the ends and jutting downwards, and chocolate brown eyes seemingly uninterested in what was going on around him. His attire was relatively simple, as he wore the school uniform: a blue blazer with a black undershirt, black pants, and a pair of sneakers. His final accessory was a small gold token tied around his neck with a string. He sat in his desk, his arm propped on top of his desk, supporting his head as he stared out of the windows with almost bored, uninterested eyes. A sigh escaped his lips, wondering if anything truly interesting would happen.

"_Yet another pointless day of my life about to come and go." _He thought inwardly. _"I hate school."_

A sudden chorus of awe broke the young boy out of its thoughts, and he flicked his eyes over to the gathering of students around the desk. Through the sea of students, he was able to see two particular students sitting opposite of one another in desks, and they were holding cards in their hands and placing them on the desk. They were obviously playing a game, and the boy knew all too well what game it was.

"…and now I summon Serpent Night Dragon in attack mode!" the duelist with black hair called out. "And now I attack you directly! That's game!"

The opponent could only hang his head in defeat as the winner celebrated his victory, and chatter began to spill among the students about the duel. The boy looked at the scene for a few moments with disinterest before turning his attention back to outside the window. One student noticed the boy's reaction, and just raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What the hell is with that guy?" the student asked. "There was just an exciting duel here, and he goes and just brushes it off. Does he not know what Duel Monsters is?"

Another student was confused at his statement, and turned towards the direction with facing. Once he saw the young boy, his expression turned very solemn as he turned towards his fellow student.

"Oh, he knows what Duel Monsters is, alright." The second student stated solemnly. "That's Kaosu Cross. You're new here, so you don't know anything about him, so I'll tell you. Not only does he know what Duel Monster is, he used to play the game."

"Seriously?" the first student asked.

"Yeah, and he was a pretty good duelist on top of that." The second student nodded. "Not a lot of people could beat him. He was one of the best around here."

"So, let me guess, he thinks he's too good for this little small-time game?" the first student asked angrily. "That's why he's acting like that?"

"No, it's not that." The second student shook his head. "He loved the game of Duel Monsters very much, and he was a pretty cool guy. He was actually more talkative back then, and helped a lot of us out. But one day, he just…stopped playing the game."

"Stopped playing?" the first student exclaimed.

"Yeah, none of us couldn't believe it either." The second student stated quietly. "It started off like any other day, but then he came in, ignored all of us, and sat in his seat. We all were confused until he said 'I'm done with Duel Monsters. I'm not playing it ever again.' That was all he said, and it's been one year since that day. He hasn't played the game since."

"Unreal." The first student murmured. "He was one of the best, and just upped and quit out of nowhere one day? And hasn't played for an entire year?"

"Yep, and we never found out why." The second student confirmed. "We tried to find out why he quit for about six months after he announced it, but no matter what we did, it was always the same answer: 'I'm done with Duel Monsters. That's that.' Eventually, we gave up, and he's been like this ever since."

"Man, I can't believe all of this." The first student sighed. "What could've happened that made him quit Duel Monsters all together? It must've been pretty rough."

"Yeah, that's what we guessed." The second student nodded. "But it's obvious we're not going to get any answers, so zip your lip about it. It's already bad enough I had to go through it again, so no need to make him do so too."

However, Kaosu was not as deaf as the two would like him to believe, so he heard every single word that the two had said. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes as memories came back to him; memories that he would rather forget about it.

"_They wouldn't understand." _He thought solemnly. _"I just don't have it in me to duel anymore. Not since _that_ day. I just can't. It doesn't even matter anymore anyway."_

He was broken out of his thoughts once again by the sound of footsteps, and they sounded like they were coming closer ever second. And everyone knew who was coming, so all the students began scrambling like crazy around the room, getting into their seat and moving the desks as fast as they can. And just a second after they were all seated, their teacher came striding in. A lovely woman with flowing blonde hair, ruby red glasses, dark brown eyes in a black suit and skirt walked right behind her desk and looked over her students with a suspicious eye. Nearly every student squirmed under her gaze, unknowing of what will happen.

"I know you all were playing Duel Monsters." The teacher stated knowingly. "And while I do know that it's a popular game, as long as I teach this class, there will be no card playing in my class! Understood?"

"Yes, Ms. Wilson!" the students announced unanimously.

As the class began under the tutelage of Ms. Wilson, Kaosu simply looked at the front of classroom with his usual uninterested expression before giving out a long, deep sigh.

"_You know, for once, I wish something interesting would happen."_

Little did he know, he was going to get more than he bargained for.

* * *

><p>Kaosu walked along the sidewalk with closed eyes, carrying his school bag beside him as a few cars passed by him on the streets. On the right side of him was the local park, a green lush plain with several winding stone roads and populated by several trees, separated only by a black metal fence. Several people walked right by him, heading in the opposite direction, but Kaosu paid them no mind as he continued down the path, having memorized the way back home easily.<p>

"_Same boring school day, same boring walk to school…" _Kaosu thought to himself. "_I am committed to giving up Duel Monsters, but why in the hell did all excitement have to go with it? Seriously, for once, something out of the ordinary happen!"_

As the young school student inwardly talked to himself, he instinctively turned right at a corner of the sidewalk, having taken this route many times before. However, when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find a small table set up down the sidewalk. A purple blanket covered it entirely, both its surface and its legs, the symbol of a golden eye on the front portion. Several artifacts, likely of Egyptian heritage, were placed across the top of the table, but the most notable was the bright crystal ball placed in the very center. Sitting behind this very table was an old man, seeming to be in his late 60s, with a full, thick gray beard, very visible wrinkles featured across his face, and dark purple eyes that seemed like they could stare into your very soul. His clothing was a dark purple robe that covered just about his entire body, a hood placed over his head, grey hair falling out of the hood, indicating he had long hair. With hands clasped together on the table, he seemed almost like a statue as he sat there, waiting for someone to walk by. Kaosu blinked a few times in surprise, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.

"_Well…I guess that _is_ out of the ordinary."_ Kaosu thought confused. _"I certainly don't remember him or that stand being on this path before. What is all this?"_

While severely confused, he still needed to get home, so he chose to just ignore this development and continued walking. Yet just as he was in front of the stand, ready to pass it, a voice called out to him.

"Hold on, young man."

Kaosu stopped in his footsteps, slowly turning his head towards the owner of the voice. He eyed the old man sitting behind the table with a raised eyebrow, yet the old man seemed to just stare back with a gaze that inwardly disturbed Kaosu.

"_What is with this guy?" _he asked inwardly. _"It's like he's staring into my soul or something."_

"I truly am sorry to disturb you, my good man, but I was wondering if I could interest you in something?" The old man asked.

"Yeah, and why just ask me this out of nowhere?" Kaosu asked suspiciously.

"You have a…different aura about you." The old man answered cryptically. "There is something truly special about you, something that defines you from everyone else. And it is that very reason that I wish to tell you a fortune."

"Sorry, but I'm not really a believer in fortune-telling or destiny." Kaosu replied casually. "So this sort of thing doesn't really appeal to me."

"Please, just let me give your fortune." The old man pleaded. "This is something that you must experience. If nothing else, at least satisfy an old man's curiosity."

Kaosu sighed in response. "Well, I guess. I may not be very approachable, but I'm certainly not a jerk to turn down such a request." He fished through his pocket, until he pulled out some money and threw it onto the table. "Here, this is for you."

"I don't need your money." The old man stated calmly.

"I insist." Kaosu replied just as calmly. "If you're going to do this, then you should at least get something out of it."

"I appreciate your kindness, young man, but telling your future will be enough for me." The fortune teller stated with a smile; he raised his hands over the sides of the crystal ball. . "Now do as I say. Slowly place your hands over the crystal ball, and keep them there until I say."

Kaosu, though still skeptical, did as he said and moved his hands, hovering them over the crystal ball. But as he did so, he failed to notice the man's forehead suddenly glow with the same golden eye symbol that was printed on the blanket. The old man observed Kaosu, anticipation clearly seen on his face as the student waited for the next instruction.

"Now, close your eyes, clear your mind of all distractions, and let peace and insight take over."

Kaosu raised his eyebrow again in suspicion, but he did what was asked of him and slowly closed his eyes. Slowly, he began to drown out all the noise, distractions, and thoughts around him, clearing his mind of everything. As he did, he suddenly felt calmer, lighter as a result, like he was now able to see something that he could not see before. It was strange, almost puzzling, but it was not a feeling he didn't welcome.

"Now…place your hands on the orb, and your eyes shall be opened."

At his command, Kaosu slowly brought his hands down on upon the crystal ball, and a few seconds later he touched it. The moment he did, the orb suddenly began to glow, the golden eye symbol appearing on it as well. Suddenly, the orb began to burst forth with a powerful golden light, enveloping Kaosu in its bright glow. The school student gritted his teeth as he felt intense pain shoot through him, yet for some strange reason unknown to him, he refused to open his eyes, keeping them closed for as long as he can. Suddenly, he felt something pop in his mind, forcing him to open his eyes as his head was knocked back by an unknown force. The golden eye appeared on his forehead as well as his eyes suddenly gained a golden glow, and before he knew what was happening, images began to appear before his sight, flashing for seconds.

* * *

><p>"<em>I can't lose to you! I just can't!"<em>

"_There's so much more to this than your own damn ego!"_

"_Your soul is mine, for I play…"_

"_You mean to tell me that you still haven't figured it out?"_

"_Be consumed by the Shadows!"_

"_Do you truly respect your cards like I do, or are you just like everybody else?"_

"_She's more than a card to me, you bastard!"_

"_Do you wish to know the answers to your past?"_

"_With these three cards, I will be unstoppable!"_

"_NO! KAOSU!"_

"_FOR AS LONG AS I BREATHE, YOU SHALL NOT HURT HER!"_

* * *

><p>Kaosu was suddenly ripped from his vision, his hands violently breaking contact from the crystal ball. He took a step back as the golden eye on his forehead disappeared, sweat dripping down his face as he breathed heavily, the golden glow in his eyes fading. He could only stare at the crystal ball, trying to grasp what he had just experienced.<p>

"_What…what was that?" _ Kaosu thought as he tried to regain composure. _"Just now…all those images...what did they all mean? Were they even real?" _His gaze lifted towards the old man. _"Just what did he do to me?"_

With the soul-searching gaze of the old man upon him, it almost seemed too much for Kaosu to handle. Unable to make heads or tails of what just happened, he turned to leave as quickly as he could, but once again he was stopped.

"Wait."

"WHAT?"

Kaosu, still coming to terms with the recent events, whipped his head angrily at the old man, yet imagine his surprise when he saw a small, red rectangular box with a golden eye on the lid, the size of a jewelry box, being extended to him by the old man, who had not once changed his expression.

"I am truly sorry for having to put you through that." The old man stated sincerely. "As a token of my apology, please accept this gift."

"Why are you giving this to me?" Kaosu asked, his anger melting away into confusion.

"I have held onto this for quite a while." The old man explained. "And I have been waiting to give this away for just as long. However, I have not been able to find the right person to give this to…until now. You are the one that should have this, no doubt. So please take it."

Kaosu eyed the random gift with an exasperated and suspicious look, not knowing what to actually make of it. Eventually, he raised his hand over the small box carefully, and for a few seconds, let it hover over before hesitantly grasping it and slowly pulling it away from the old man.

"Your destiny begins here, Kaosu Cross." The old man stated cryptically.

"Wait, how did you know my name?" Kaosu asked with wide eyes. "I didn't tell you what it was. And what do you mean by 'destiny'?"

The old man only gazed at Kaosu with the same look as before, and after a few seconds, it became clear to Kaosu he wasn't going to get an answer. So he turned his own gaze at the small box in his hand, slowly grasping the lid by its side with one hand while he held it with the other. Then carefully, almost apprehensively, pulled the lid off, and the contents caused Kaosu to stiffen in shock, his chocolate brown eyes widening to the fullest.

"A…A Dark Magician Girl card?" Kaosu exclaimed, the box shaking in his grip as he stared at the card. "But…but this is one of the rarest cards in the entire game! Most people don't even have one! How in the world did you…" He stopped mid-question, realization suddenly dawning on him, and closed his eyes, almost in regret. "This is a truly amazing gift, and I appreciate it, but I'm sorry. I can't accept it. You see, I don't play Duel Mon…"

However, as he turned to face the old man while he was speaking, he could only stare in disbelief as he was no longer there. In fact, the entire fortune-telling stand had disappeared along with its owner. He had vanished, without a trace, without a sound.

"What…the hell?" Kaosu managed to get out. "What just happened? He was here a minute ago, and now he's…Damn it, what the hell is going on here?"

He held his head as a headache from all this shock began to weigh down upon him, yet when he glanced back at the card in the box, he found he couldn't take his eyes off of it. Looking at the image of the card, the blonde-haired magician girl clad in blue and pink clothing smiling confidently, seemed almost hypnotizing. He turned his head back to fully look at it, and before he knew what he was doing, he placed the lid underneath the box, and soon his free hand began to inch closer to the card. With a gentleness that even he didn't know he possessed, he grasped the card and picked it up out of the box.

The moment he did, he felt a sudden power emit from the card, an invisible wave that gently pushed him back a bit. Taken back, Kaosu was once again at a loss of words, trying to figure out what had just happened. To him, it felt like something had just awakened to him, like a new sense being opened, but he wasn't entirely sure. As he stared at the card almost trance-like, he heard something.

"_Is that you?"_

Kaosu whipped his head around as the sound of the voice; however he could not locate the owner anywhere. He blinked his eyes several times, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"What was that just now?" Kaosu spoke out. "That sounded like…a girl's voice. What is going on?"

Kaosu could only shut his eyes in frustration as he whipped his head back around to once again stare down at the Dark Magician Girl card in his hand, only able to speak these words.

"Well…I _did _want something interesting to happen."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Welcome to my first ever Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. This will be a grand project, as it will not only contain a story, but it will also do its best to have compelling card duels like the show. I hope I can do Yu-Gi-Oh justice, and that this opening chapter is one you all will enjoy. If you felt I did something wrong, then please, feel free to tell me, and I will do what I can to make justice. Also, for those experienced with writing out duels, please give me advice, as I could use it. Also if you have any OCs you would like me to use for the story, just give me the info, along with what kind of deck they use if they have one, and I will see what I can do._

_Kaosu's adventure has just begun, and he doesn't even realize it. What is his ultimate destiny? What does his visions mean? And what is the meaning of the Dark Magician Girl card? The next chapter will hopefully reveal more._


	2. Return to the Game Part 1

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

Return to the Game Part 1

The doorknob slightly shook before twisting in a circle, and the door swung forward. Kaosu came walking through the doorway, his left hand on the doorknob while he held his school bag with his other hand, his expression one of indifference. He shut the door behind him, hearing it close with a thud, and looked at his surroundings. The house he was in had grey walls, with an equall grey carpet covering the floor. In front of him was a large space that was the living room, with a small sofa and a chair seated in front of a medium-sized TV. Several cabinets, lamps, and shelves adorned the room, giving it a more welcomed feel. There were several doors around that led to various rooms, and a hallway that led to a kitchen, where Kaosu could faintly here the sound of water running, and the whistle of a tune. Stairs were seated at the end of the house, leading up to the second story of the house as well as the inside balcony. Kaosu looked at the house for a few second before closing his eyes.

"Good to be home…" He whispered.

He placed the bag next to the wall, and began taking his shoes off, but when he was about to place them next to the wall, he suddenly felt him tackle his legs. He nearly lost his balance, dropping his shoes to the floor, but he kept himself standing. He turned his attention to nearly knocked him down, but when he saw who it was, his mouth surprisingly curled up into a small smile.

Clutching his leg was a small girl, no more than five years old, with flowing brown hair that reached to her waist. Her attire was a simple short-sleeved pink shirt with the image of a white dove printed on the front, light blue pants, and white shoes. With her hair tied into a ponytail, she buried her face into Kaosu's leg with arms wrapped around it before she looked up, her bright green eyes staring at the young man in almost a puppy-like manner, a big happy smile on her face.

"Big brother, you're back!" she shouted, her smile growing wider. "I missed you so much!"

"I've only been gone for a few hours, Kyuui." Kaosu chuckled, placing an affectionate hand on her hand. "You couldn't have missed me _that _much."

"I did!" Kyuui pouted. "It was no fun without you here! Why do you have to go away every day? It's not fair!"

With a warm smile, Kaosu bent down to face his sister, grabbing her by the shoulders and detaching her from his leg. He gave her a few affectionate pats on the head, resulting in her pout slowly turning into a smile. Kaosu's uncharacteristic smile persisted at the girl's change in expression.

"I have to, Kyuui." Kaosu explained carefully, ruffling her hair. "School is required, and if I don't go, then I won't be any good. So I have to go, no matter how boring it is. But don't worry, I'm back now, and now we can spend some time together."

"Yay!" Kyuii cheered; Kaosu chuckled and ruffled her hair some more.

"Kaosu, is that you?"

The young man looked up towards the hallway, and in a few seconds a head popped out from it. It was a beautiful woman in her early thirties, with long flowing, wavy black hair that reached to the middle of her back, shining blue eyes, and very matured features. She wore a pink bandanna around her head, covering her crown, and her hair was tied into a ponytail just like Kyuui's. She wore blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, the sleeves rolled up along her arms, slightly wet and dirtied at the ends. Adorned over these clothes was a pink apron, apparently both wet and stained all over. The woman smiled as her she exited the hallway and looked at Kaosu, wiping her hands in her apron.

"There you are, son." She stated with a hand on her hip. "I've been wondering where you were. You're a bit late coming home, aren't you?"

"Sorry, Mom." Kaosu answered, rubbing the back of his head. "I got…held up a bit."

"Is that so?" His mother smirked. "Well then, it better be a good excuse then, young man. Otherwise, double the chores you will have this week."

"You see, Ms. Wilson kept me at school after class ended for a bit." Kaosu explained; he couldn't tell his mother what really happened, it just wasn't believable. "She wanted to talk to me about my progress at school, and it soon turned into a long, boring discussion about grades, my homework, paying attention, etc. etc. etc. I only managed to get here this time because I kind of ran off in the middle of the lecture. Seriously, I just couldn't take it. I only hope it doesn't result in a longer lecture"

"Yes, well, I guess I will forgive you for this since she is known for doing that." His mother giggled. "But don't do it again. You made Kyuui miss you even more, if that's possible."

"Well, then, I'm sorry Kyuui." Kaosu apologized to his sister. "I didn't mean to make you wait longer than you have to. It's just that my mean, strict teacher kept me away. Can you please forgive me?"

"Of course, brother!" Kyuui shouted joyously.

Kaosu smiled warmly at his little sister, patting her a few times on the head, earning a bigger smile from Kyuui. Then, he suddenly stood up, his face slowly morphing back into his usual disinterested look, and passed his family and walked towards the stairs. As he climbed them, his mother called out to him.

"Kaosu, where are you going?" she asked. "I thought you were going to spend time with us."

"Later, Mom." Kaosu answered, glancing at her. "I need to go to my room and take care of some things. After that, I'll come back down for dinner and chores."

With that said, Kaosu walked up the flight of stairs and towards his room, opening the door and closing it behind as he entered. Lexa Cross could only look at the door upstairs with a sympathetic, worrying expression for her only son.

"_Kaosu…" _She thought worriedly. _"Ever since your father died three years ago, you've acted so distant, so indifferent. You were folding inward, but when you found Duel Monsters, it seemed you were finally opening back up. You found something you loved, and it was bringing back the old Kaosu. But now…you stopped playing, for a reason that not even I know of. And that's caused you to once again close yourself off, to be so disinterested to everyone and everything. The only person that ever makes you smile anymore, bringing back the old you, is Kyuui, and even that is only for fleeting moments. Kaosu…"_

"Mommy, is big brother alright?" Kyuui asked innocently.

"Yes sweetie, I'm sure he is." Lexa Cross told her, walking over to her and picking her up. "He just has a lot on his mind right now, so he just wants some private time. He'll be back down in a bit, but while we wait for him, how about we go make dinner."

"Yay!" Kyuui cheered as Lexa carried her to the kitchen. Yet as she did, Lexa could only think about Kaosu.

"_My son…please find something that will make you smile again. And please, let that smile last."_

* * *

><p>As he shut the door behind, Kaosu stretched out a hand to the left, and then stretched his index finger, moving it upwards to flip a nearby switch. The lights on the ceiling turned on, illuminating the room and revealing all its contents. It was a medium-sized room with black-colored walls, a red-colored ceiling, and a grey carpet layered as the floor. A queen-sized bed was set vertically against the wall right of Kaosu, black covers blanketing over the white mattress. On the wall opposite of him was a window, giving him a view of outside, and below it was a small brown wooden desk, a chair under it. On the left wall, at the corner closest to him was a bigger drawer, and on the top was several different trinkets, including a framed picture of him, Kyuui, Lexa, and a man with short brown hair and a big smile, and next to the drawer was the closet, closed off by its wooden doors.<p>

Kaosu looked at his room for a few seconds before walking over to his bed. He sat himself on the edge of it, placing his forearms on his kneecaps, his head bent down as his mind processed what just happened to him not too long ago.

"_Okay, let's recap what's happened to me." _He thought to himself. _"First, I meet some crazy, strange old man near the park, I touch a crystal ball which makes me see all sorts of things I don't understand, I'm given one of the rarest cards in all of Duel Monsters, and that crazy old man just vanishes into thin air in a matter of seconds. Yep, certainly has been one of the more interesting events of my life. And to be fair, I did ask for it."_

Staying silent in both mouth and mind, he drew back his arm and inserted his hand into his pants pocket, grasping the object in it. He pulled it out in one swift motion and held it in front of him. Staring at it for what seemed like hours, he pulled the lid off the box and once again laid his eyes on the mysterious content within.

"_A Dark Magician Girl card…" _He thought as he tilted his head. _"How did that man even come across this card in the first place? This is one of the rarest cards in all of Duel Monsters. The only one known to have this card is the King of Games himself, Yugi Muto. And he gave it to me of all people. Why? Just because 'I was the right person to give it to'? I don't know if I buy that. And then there was when I picked up the card. At that moment…I thought I heard a voice, and a girl's voice at that. It almost felt like…there was another presence beside me…"_

Kaosu continued staring at the card in the box, almost as if he were hypnotized by the image of the girl on it. Suddenly, he closed his eyes, as if in regret, placed the lid back on the box, stood up off the bed, and walked over to the drawer in the corner.

"_It doesn't matter anyway." _ He thought sadly. _"I'm done with Duel Monsters. That's what I decided a year ago, and I'm standing by it. No one card given to me by a stranger is going to change that, no matter how rare."_

As he stood in front of the drawer, he slowly pulled open one of the compartments and lowered the box with the card in it onto its surface. Yet, when he tried to let go of it, he found that he was unable to. For reasons unknown to him, his hand seemed to gain a mind of its own as it refused to let its grip on the box go, tightening even more on it.

"What the…?" He spoke, confusion etched on his features. "Why can't I let go?"

Kaosu continued to try and let go of the box, but yet his hand resisted the command. It was almost as if another part of himself was controlling his hand, refusing to let go for a reason known only to it. Kaosu continued to struggle against his hand for several more moments, until his grip on the box slackened, giving him the opportunity to move his hand off the box, leaving it in the drawer. Kaosu stared at the box, and then at his hand, wondering what just happened. Then he narrowed his eyes, and simply closed the drawer. Yet as he did this, for some odd reason, he felt…regretful.

"_What is wrong with me today?" _Kaosu asked himself, a bit worried.

He could only sigh deeply, deciding he was thinking about this too much and that it wasn't doing him any good. Before he turned away, his eyes landed upon the framed picture on top of the drawer. His eyes turned sorrowful, grabbing the portrait and holding it up. He stared down at the brown-haired man in the picture, who had his hand on Kaosu's shoulder and had a smile on his face, and Kaosu himself had a smile on his face too. The boy, much younger than he was now, did not seem so indifferent as he was now; in fact, he looked like the happiest boy in the world.

"Dad…" Kaosu said softly.

Closing his eyes for a moment, as if in deep thought, he slowly set the picture back on the drawer as if it was a flower, and his eyes opened up once more, filled once again with disinterest and indifference. He walked over to his door, grabbed the doorknob, and opened the door, exiting his room without another word said.

However, as the door closed behind, someone suddenly appeared out of thin air in his room, as if she were a ghost. She sat on the edge of the bed, where Kaosu sat just moments ago, looking at the door he just exited through with concerned, sympathetic eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day…<strong>

As he did every afternoon, Kaosu walked the familiar path back home, this time down an empty street, his school bag slung over his shoulder. As usual, his eyes were closed and his expression was one of pure disinterest, yet in his mind, he was thinking of many things, like how the old man failed to reappear near the park like yesterday. He had just asked a few people about him and Kaosu was astounded when he found that not one person aside from him had ever seen him. To Kaosu, that was beyond weird, not to mention impossible, however, nothing could be done about it. To him, it was in the past, and it no longer affected him, so he just decided to just forget about it.

As Kaosu came to this conclusion, his body bumped into something, knocking him back in surprise. He easily managed to stay on his feet as he took a few steps back, and quickly opened his eyes. In his line of sight was a large gathering of people of many ages, mostly young teenagers and adults, forming a large circle around something, though Kaosu couldn't see what was at the center of it. The man he bumped into turned his attention to Kaosu with a glare.

"Hey, watch where you're going, you fool!" he growled before turning back to the circle.

"Yeah, that's sure to make you friends." Kaosu stated sarcastically; he observed the circle. "What's going on? I mean, this isn't the most populated street. What reason do they have…" Realization dawned upon him. "Wait, don't tell me that there's a…"

An explosion from the center of the circle followed by a scream took him from his thoughts. He looked at the gathering in front of him in surprise, and he pushed himself into it. Even if it was what he thought it was, it didn't seem like it was ending well at all, so he had to do something. Kaosu pushed past all the people around me, and they shouted angrily at me, but he didn't care as he continued his way through the crowd. He finally made it past them all, exiting the circle of people and into the center they were all surrounding.

Before him, laying down on the ground on his back was who someone he recognized as a classmate, a mess of black hair on his head ending just above his eyes, wearing the same school uniform as he did: blue blazer, black undershirt, and khaki pants. He was laid out on the ground, eyes closed as he struggled to regain himself, a KaibaCorp Duel Disk attached to his left arm with his deck in the slot. Kaosu moved to help him but stopped when a voice pierced the silence.

"Ha, another one bites the dust!"

Kaosu turned towards the voice, and it belonged to a large man several feet taller than himself, with bulging muscles all over, crew cut black hair, and steel grey eyes. He wore a sleeveless, tight-fitting black shirt that showed off his oversized muscles through it, dark blue cargo pants, and black boots. On his arm was the same Duel Disk that Kaosu's classmate, but unlike his opponent, he wore an arrogant smirk on his face, a haughty air about him. Kaosu narrowed his eyes at this man, already finding an extreme dislike for him. The muscled man walked towards his fallen opponent, completely ignoring Kaosu. As he stood over the defeated student, he bent over and grabbed a certain card on the ground. Picking it up, he stared at with a look of triumph before looking back down to his fallen opponent.

"Thanks for the practice, as well as the rare card." The man chuckled cockily; he began walking away. "I'll be going now."

"Stop right there, you big oaf!"

The muscled man stop in his tracks, and turned around angrily to face whoever said that. The culprit was none other than Kaosu, who stood his ground glaring at the man with a anger in his eyes, a sudden change from his normally indifferent personality.

"You talking to me?" the man growled.

"Of course I'm talking to you, who else, dumbass!" Kaosu shouted; the muscled man looked ready to explode. "What the hell are you doing taking one of his cards? That doesn't belong to you!"

"It does now, punk!" the man snarled. "He doesn't deserve a rare card like this! It's better off with me!"

"Why you…!" Kaosu growled, anger flowing from this sight. "You can't just go around taking people's cards just because you won some stupid duel!"

"Heh, last I checked, the kid agreed to put his rare card on the line." The man chuckled. "So it belongs to me now."

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed.

"It's true." Kaosu snapped his head towards his classmate, who was now sitting up with a dejected expression. "I was taking a shortcut back home when this man suddenly blocked my path. He wouldn't let me go unless I dueled him, and he would only duel if I put my rarest card on the line. I had no choice but to agree, and when we began to duel, people began to notice from up the alley and gathered around. And in the end…I lost."

"Ha, of course you lost!" the muscled man shouted cockily. "I'm Jack Golem! One of the top-ranked duelists in all of America! And everyone saw me beat you, as well as put your card on the line, so I won it fair and square!"

"I didn't even know you were a top duelist until halfway through the duel!" the classmate shouted. "You didn't bother to tell me that at all! I didn't have a chance from the beginning, you stupid bully!"

"Hey, in life, there are winners, and losers!" Jack proclaimed with a smirk. "And with the national tournament coming up in one month, I needed some practice to get me warmed-up. So thank you for your co-operation. And don't worry, your card will be put to good use, as I'll use it to help me win the..."

"Enough!" Kaosu screamed, catching Jack's attention. "You are a scumbag! Forcing innocent duelists that aren't on your level to duel you for their rare cards is not right at all! And you call yourself a champion duelist." Jack growled dangerously at those comments. "And if a tournament is coming up, why are you even here? Shouldn't you be off stupidly training, or be living in some gaudy, outlandish, overpriced hotel?"

"Ha, you got jokes. Cute." Jack snarled. "But if you want to know so badly, I'm here because it seemed like a good place to crash. I've been traveling for awhile, showing wannabees like this kid how to really duel, and I thought I stop here before heading out to nationals. And then another thought came to me, why not beat the crap out of everyone here in duels, you know, as warm-ups? Plus…" He held up the rare card he took with a greedy eye. "Rare cards like these are sure to help me win in that tournament."

"So you're just going to take it just like that?" Kaosu asked angrily. "That card might mean a lot to him!"

"So what?" Jack scoffed. "That wimpy kid wasn't even using this card right. So what if it meant a lot to him? It's a disgrace he even has this card. At least with me, this card will actually be done justice. After all, this card will be with a winner."

Kaosu was about to retort when suddenly he felt something strike his mind. The young boy felt like as if something was flooding into his mind, as if the words spoken by Jack had triggered something. Kaosu immediately knew what was trying to make its way through, but before he could push it back into the recesses of his mind, the memory came right at him.

* * *

><p><em>Kaosu lied down the ground, curled up with eyes closed as he struggled to recover from what just happened to him. Duel Monsters cards laid scattered all around him, some falling down around him as well. Kaosu opened his eyes weakly, and laid his eyes on a particular card. He slowly reached his card out to grab, but a pair of feet suddenly came up to his line of sight, stopping in front of him. Before Kaosu could grab the card, the owner of the feet had snatched up the card from the ground. Kaosu followed the card as it was brought up, staring into his face, who eyed the card with a satisfied smirk before looking back down at Kaosu.<em>

"_To think that someone as weak as you has a rare card like this." He commented. "That's a disgrace to the game, as well as to this card. Well, don't worry, you won't have to worry about this card being tarnished anymore, for I'll just take it off your hands. It'll be in the hands of a champion. Though it really doesn't have a place in my deck. At least it'll be a nice trophy. Hahahahahahaha!"_

* * *

><p>It ended as quickly as it began as Kaosu found himself once again facing Jack Golem, a crowd watching everything that was transpiring before them. Kaosu's eyes were wide as he realized what he had just experienced. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he stared down at the ground, fingers clenching within his hands.<p>

"_Dammit, why did I have to go through that again?" _Kaosu cursed inwardly. _"Is this whole event really that similar to what I went through that it had to bring it back up? I seriously don't want to remember that day ever again." _He looked back at up at Jack, his emotions now directed towards him. _"But…what happened to me is happening all over again…and even if I'm done with Duel Monsters, I can't let anyone else go through the pain I went through. Otherwise…I may not live with myself, no matter what I think."_

"Hey, what's with the silent treatment?" Jack asked with a smirk. "Finally realized you're in the presence of greatness?"

"As if, you oaf of a loudmouth." Kaosu replied; a vein popped on Jack's forehead. "Now you're going to give that card back right now."

"Or what?" Jack questioned, arms crossed over chest.

"I'll take it from you…by force." Kaosu warned, dangerously calm.

"Ha, you want to fight me?" Jack laughed, mocking Kaosu. "Look at me! I would squash you in seconds! Don't even bother kid! You won't get anything out of it."

"We'll see about that." Kaosu stated, making a move towards Jack; however, a hand grabbed his arm halting him. He turned around, and was surprised to see the classmate stopping him.

"It's not worth it." He stated sadly. "As much as I want that card back, fighting with fists isn't the answer. Even if he forced me to put it on the line, he won the card fair and square, and if you take it back by force, especially by force, you'll be the one stealing the card."

"You can't be serious…" Kaosu stared at him incredulously.

"He's right." Jack smirked, getting their attention. "Trying to beat me down won't get you anywhere, especially since you'll be likely reported to the police if you even try it." Kaosu narrowed his eyes. "If you want your little friend's card back, then there's a way you can do it. Beat me in a duel, and you can have it back. Though in exchange, if you lose, I take your rarest card. So come on, what do you say?"

Kaosu looked downwards, eyes closed as he muttered in regret. "I don't duel anymore. I don't even have a deck"

"You don't duel?" Jack exclaimed. "Ha, what a riot! You demanded I give the card back, yet you don't even have any cards yourself! What a joke! How did you even expect to get it back at all?" Kaosu clenched his fists angrily, holding himself from punching the guy's lights out. "Well, I've wasted enough time staying here to humor you. See you later, losers."

Jack walked through the crowd of people and down the alley, laughing all the way. Kaosu made a move to follow him, but once again, the classmate had gripped his arm and held him back, shaking his head as if to say no. Kaosu narrowed his eyes at him, but otherwise made no move to escape. One by one, the crowd around began to disperse as the show before them came to an end, going back about their business. Once they were all gone, the classmate spoke to Kaosu.

"Sorry you had to get dragged into that." He said. "I mean, it's known around school that you quit Duel Monsters and how adamant you are about it. Must've been hard to be near this game again."

"It doesn't matter." Kaosu replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets as his indifference slowly returned. "I had my reasons for quitting Duel Monsters, but that doesn't mean I stopped caring about the game."

"Oh…" was all the student could say.

"Listen, you didn't have to let that jerk take your card." Kaosu told him. "He didn't deserve it. You didn't even have to agree to the duel in the first place."

"No, it's alright." The student shook his head with a sad smile. "What's done is done. Besides, if I really deserved that card, I would've won the duel. I mean, I can always get another card to replace it. I mean, it's just a card, right?"

Kaosu said nothing in response, staying silent as he stood rooted to the spot. However, he could tell that there was no heart behind the student's words. He could tell losing that card really hurt the student, for his expression was something he recognized. It was the exact same expression he himself once wore, and it pained him from the inside out having to look at that face again.

"Well, I better get back home now." The student stated. "Don't want to worry my parents." He walked past Kaosu down the alley, but turned his head back to him. "Oh, one last thing, the name's Sam Kazui. If it's any consolation, thanks for caring at least."

Sam walked down the alley and was soon out of sight, finally leaving Kaosu all alone. The young student stayed in that position for a few minutes, indifferent on the outside, yet emotions running through him on the inside. The most prominent was a feeling of helplessness, helpless at the fact he could do nothing to stop what had happened. He may seem uncaring at times, but he was by no means an emotionless jerk. He knew what Jack did was wrong, and that he had to get that card back. He felt that it was his duty, and he knew it was because of what had happened to him in the past. But in order to get that card back, he would need to duel again.

"_No, I can't duel again." _Kaosu thought, shaking his head. _"I just can't. I want to get that card back, but if I duel again, that day will just keep surfacing over and over again. I can't even play a card anymore without even being reminded of it, and when I am, I completely freeze up, unable to do anything. My will to duel is gone. Sam, I'm sorry, but I just can't duel."_

Ridding his mind of any further thoughts on the subject, Kaosu walked down the alley, continuing his path towards his house. Hopefully, he could put this whole incident behind him, and things would return to normal. However, it wasn't going to be that easy.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ha, what the hell's the matter with you?" Jack mocked, holding the card between his fingers. "All you have to do is duel me to get this card, so why don't you? Come on, didn't you go through the same thing? You really don't care at all."<em>

"_Shut up!" Kaosu shouted._

"_Kaosu…" The student turned to the left, where he saw Sam. "Why are you abandoning me? I thought you empathized with me, I thought you cared enough to get my card back. Now it seems I was wrong."_

"_No Sam, I do care!" Kaosu pleaded; he felt someone behind him. Turning around, he was face-to-face with _him.

"_Tch, what a joke you are." He scoffed. "You claim to care about what's happened to poor ol' Sam, but you have a chance to make it right, and you won't do it. And all because you can't handle on simple loss in your life. Heh, I always knew you were weak, but now I know you're worse than that. You are scum, Kaosu, lower than the lowest. Always have been, always will be."_

"_No…" Kaosu muttered. "You're wrong…YOU'RE WRONG! I DO CARE! I DO! I'M NOT SCUM! I'M… NOT…SCUM! "_

* * *

><p>Kaosu suddenly sat up in a flash, eyes wide open as he took deep and heavy breaths, sweat covering his forehead as his senses slowly came back to him, realizing that it was all a dream. With the moonlight shining through the window the only source of light in the room, he quickly composed himself. Kaosu placed his hand over his face, closing his eyes in deep thought.<p>

"Damn it…" he muttered.

"_That's the third time I've woken up this night. And it's because of the same damn nightmare. This can't be happening. I've stood by not playing Duel Monsters for a year, but one simple event, and now my resolve is breaking. Is this whole situation really affecting me that much? How come this is happening to me?"_

Though he tried to fool himself, he already knew the answer. The same personal experience that ended his dueling career, was urging him to stop it from happening to others. While his mind was against dueling, his heart said otherwise. It was telling him to not let what happened to him happen to Sam and to anyone else, that it was time for him to take up his deck again. It was urging him to duel, no matter what happened to him in the past. The two sides conflicted within him, battling for control as Kaosu sat there on his bed, unsure of what to do.

For several minutes, Kaosu just sat there, silent as one could be as he thought over this very tough decision. So many thoughts ran through his mind, ranging from the tabooed day, to Sam's dejected expression. His mind raced through all these things, until it finally settled on one thing: the events from yesterday, from meeting the old man, to those strange visions, to being given the card…

Wordlessly, he threw the sheet off his body and stepped out of bed before kneeling next to the mattress. Reaching his hand between the mattresses, he fished for several moments, looking for what he desired. Eventually, he felt cool metal in his hand, and quickly grasped it, pulling it out and staring at it. A small, grey metal key in his hand, he stood up and walked over to his closet, quietly sliding open the doors. He looked up towards the shelf that was above the clothes racket, reaching his hand towards it.

With his vision obscured by the darkness, he felt around the shelf for a few moments before feeling the object in his hand. He picked it off the shelf and pulled it down towards his level. A small, grey metal box case with blue highlights on its sides and what appeared to be a lock on its front, Kaosu stared at it for what seemed to be an eternity.

"_I guess…I always knew this would happen one day." _He thought to himself. _"Just never thought it would be this soon, in such a short span of time too."_

Without a word said, Kaosu placed the box on top of the wooden drawer in the corner. Lifting the key, he inserted it into the lock and turned it. A click was heard from it, and the lid seemed to lift just a tiny bit. Kaosu grabbed the lid and slowly lifted it up, and for the first time in a year, he stared at his Duel Monsters deck. For a few moments, he just stared at it, no emotion in his features before reaching out and grabbing his deck, lifting it out of the box.

He stared at the cards in his hand for an even longer time, feelings of both joy and dread filling him. He tightened his grip on it, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them as if he remembered something. Placing the deck on top of the drawer for just a moment, he pulled open a drawer compartment, and lo and behold, in it was the card case he put in there 24 hours ago. He picked it up and took the lid off, and once again, he was staring at the Dark Magician Girl card, and without hesitation he picked it up.

As he looked at the card in his hand, he felt for but a moment a great warmth in his chest, which passed as quickly as it came. But as his attention was on the card, he failed to notice the image of a girl appearing behind him, smiling warmly at him, before disappearing just as quickly.

"_I don't know why I was given this card in the first place…" _Kaosu thought. _"But this card will help me pull this off. That much I can tell."_

Picking up his deck, he placed the Dark Magician Girl card on the top of the deck. After that was done, his hands fell to his sides, gripping his deck tightly as he closed his eyes for several moments, a sense of calm washing over him. His eyes then snapped open, suddenly filled with fire and determination.

"_Watch out, Jack Golem, because tomorrow, Kaosu Cross makes his return to the game of Duel Monsters. And trust me…it will be a day you will never forget."_

* * *

><p><em>AN: There you go, the next chapter of Sacred Darkness for your viewing pleasure. Hopefully, I did a good job with this. I kinda redid several parts a few times, and hopefully I captured what I was going for. The next chapter will include the first duel of this story, and it will be my first duel I will ever write. I am open to any sort of help you all can offer me, so for experienced dueling writers, please contact me if you are willing to help. Hope you enjoy this chapter._

_After much conflict within himself, Kaosu has resolved to return to dueling. Can he defeat Jack Golem and get Sam's card back? Will he be able to put the past behind him? And will the Dark Magician Girl really be able to help him?_


	3. Return to the Game Part 2

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

Return to the Game Part 2

On a Saturday afternoon, with the sun shining down brightly as always, the town square was bustling with activity, the great expanse of open space filled with groups of people scattered across it. Various shops and cafés were built around it in all sorts of colors, with even taller buildings standing right behind them as well. Roads lead into the town square from the North, South, West, and East, narrow enough so that only a person could travel down it. A small stone fountain was built at the center of the square, water sprinkling from its tip, the sun creating a beautiful rainbow when it struck the falling drops. A clock was attached to the top of a pole just a ways behind the fountain, giving easy access to the time for everybody around.

And today, something slightly different was happening, for just like yesterday, large amounts of people were gathered in a group, circling a pair of people who were facing each other on opposite ends, watching them as they dueled one another with their Duel Disks, one of average height and build, with a nervous and scared expression, the other massive and strong, an arrogant smirk on his face. And soon enough, the smaller duelist was knocked flat on his back, his Life Points dropping down to 0 instantly. The larger duelist laughed in triumph, obviously pleased with his latest victory.

"Yet another one bites the dust!" Jack Golem proclaimed. "Seriously, you all make this too easy for me!"

The defeated duelist only groaned in response as he slowly sat up, trying to recover from his humiliating defeat. Jack, who chuckled remorselessly at this display, turned his attention to the people around, who flinched in slight fear.

"Who wants to duel me next?" Jack asked eagerly. "Come on, I'm up for another round! I know one of you wants to duel me! Come on!"

"Uh, I left my oven on back home, so I can't!" One person stated nervously.

"Yeah, and I got to, um, meet some friends in just a bit, so not me!" Another one spoke quickly.

"Ha, what a bunch of wimps you all are!" Jack laughed. "Come on, I promise I won't bite! I'll even go easy on you all!"

As Jack continued to rouse the crowd the crowd up, begging for another duel from them mostly out of amusement, someone walked up near the circle, staring at the scene before him with half-lidded eyes. Though his face was indifferent on the outside, inside he was nervous as hell. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for but a moment, thinking just one thought.

"_Alright. Let's do this."_

Opening his eyes with renewed determination, the person walked towards the circle and weaved himself through the crowd of people. Soon enough, he got past them all and walked into the center, finding Jack with his back to him, apparently not knowing he was there as he continued to taunt and rouse the crowd around him.

"Come on, people!" Jack screamed. "Is there anyone here who wants to duel me?"

"I'll duel you."

Jack whipped around as his attention and everyone else's was turned towards the owner of the voice who stood before him. He was wearing a black denim jacket over a dark blue shirt, a purple symbol on the front, reminiscent to the light blue symbol seen on the Spellbinding Circle card. He wore black and red sneakers, a pair of black cargo pants, and fingerless black gloves. The most prominent features He wore a small gold token around his neck, and a deck box was strapped to his waist. Kaosu Cross stared indifferently at his adversary, brown hair framing his face and hands in his pockets as he waited for a response from Jack, who seemed a bit surprised at his appearance before smirking arrogantly.

"Well, it's just you." Jack chuckled. "What the hell are you doing here? Trying to find a card to replace your buddy's that I took?"

"Looks like you're not only an arrogant oaf, you're apparently deaf as well." Kaosu replied nonchalantly; a vein appeared on Jack's forehead. "Like I said before, I'm here to duel you, Jack."

"Are you serious?" Jack exclaimed, doubling over in laughter. "Oh boy, that is a riot right there! Thanks for the laugh!"

"Is there a problem?" Kaosu asked eerily calm, his eyebrow twitching in obvious anger.

"Oh, I'm sooooooo sorry…" Jack replied sarcastically, wiping a tear from his eye. "It's just that you don't have any cards to duel me with! You said so yourself that you don't duel! Ha, what a joke!"

"Oh, so you want cards, huh?" Kaosu questioned.

Quicker than anyone could follow, his hand went to the deck box strapped to his waist, his fingers nimbly opening the lid and pulling the contents out of it in one swift motion. He held it out in front of him for everyone to see, including Jack. Once the champion duelist got a look at what he was holding, his eyes went wide and his mouth fell open.

"I've got my deck right here, Jack." Kaosu stated. "Now that you have your proof, let's duel."

A sudden chorus of murmurs suddenly rang throughout the circle as people begin to talk amongst themselves. A good deal of them knew about Kaosu and his controversial decision to quit the game of Duel Monsters, so this stunning turn of events before them was quite surprising to them all. Jack regained his composure quickly enough and narrowed his eyes at the boy that stood before him, who stared back with indifferent eyes.

"What the hell?" Jack muttered. "You said you didn't duel at all yesterday. How in the hell did you create a deck so quickly?"

"I always had a deck, you idiot." Kaosu replied, looking at the cards in his hand. "I just could never play them for the longest time…until now." Kaosu walked over to Jack's latest victim, kneeling towards him. "Hey, mind if I borrow your Duel Disk for awhile? I don't have one of my own, and I really need to duel this guy."

The defeated duelist stared at Kaosu in surprise for a moment before nodding, a bit reluctantly, and unlocked his Duel Disk from his arm, pulled out his deck from it, and handed it to Kaosu. The brown-haired boy wordlessly took it and quickly locked it onto his left arm.

"I'm letting you borrow it only because you seem to really want to duel this guy." The duelist stated. "But dude, it's a death wish. Fair warning: he is one hell of a powerful duelist."

"Hmph, he may be." Kaosu replied, staring at his deck for a few seconds before inserting it into the slot. "But that is not going to stop me from winning."

"Hmph, doesn't matter where you got a deck." Jack sneered. "If you're so eager to lose, then it will be be my pleasure to beat you senseless."

"Before we begin, I must tell you…" Kaosu told him; Jack raised an eyebrow. "I will only duel you on a certain condition, one you personally suggested yesterday. And that's if I win, you have to give me the card you took from Sam."

"Hmph, still trying to get that card back huh?" Jack scoffed. "Fine, I accept, but only if you accept the condition that _when I _win, you have to hand your rarest card over to me!"

"I accept your condition." Kaosu nodded. "But trust me, that will not happen."

"Heh, looks like someone thinks they're going to win?" Jack chuckled. "Well, sorry, but when you're going up against Jack Golem, there's no hope for victory.

"Enough talk, Jack." Kaosu stated.

He held his arm out, allowing his Duel Disk to activate as it connected together, and Jack slowly followed his example, activating his Duel Disk as well. Both of their Life Point meters went up to 4000, and they each drew five cards from their deck. Staring each other down from opposite ends, they both shouted out the same words.

"Let's duel!"

**Duel: Kaosu Cross vs. Jack Golem**

**Kaosu's LP: 4000**

**Jack's LP: 4000**

"I'll start things off, if you don't mind!" Jack stated, drawing a card from his deck. "And I think I'll summon _Gogogo Golem (DEF: 1500) _in Defense Mode!" The small monster had red eyes, a light brown cylindrical torso, thrusters on its back, and mechanical arms. "Next, I'll place two cards face down. Your move, amateur."

"_That's strange…" _Kaosu thought. _"His monster's attack points are higher than its defense points, yet he placed it in Defense Position. That doesn't make any sense. Plus, I've never heard of this card before, so that's even more suspicious. He's up to something, and I've got to stop him quick."_

"My move!" Kaosu shouted, drawing a card.

He stared at the card he drew, and then down at his hand. But as he stared at his cards, images began to flash through his eyes. He could only watch in shock as the memories came back in fleeting images before his sight: Himself playing in a dueling stadium, someone coming up to him, his monsters being wiped out, a look of shock and fear, himself lying on the ground, and then _him _appearing right before him. Kaosu suddenly broke free of the memories, and gritted his teeth in frustration, feeling his hand slightly shaking.

"_Get a hold of yourself, Kaosu." _He scolded himself. _"No matter how bad that day was, no matter what you experienced, you can't let it get in the way now. There's no backing down, and there is sure as hell no way I'm letting Jack get away with what he's done. I'm doing this, no matter what any part of me might say." _He looked down at the cards in his hand. _"It feels strange to be playing these cards again after so long, but I know for a fact that these will pull through for me like they once did. I just hope I haven't lost my touch."_

"Hey, are you going to make your move or what?" Jack called.

"Oh I sure am." Kaosu replied. "I summon _Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1600) _in Attack Mode!" A woman with long brown hair garbed in green magician clothing holding a green scepter appeared. "Now to take out that Golem! Attack Valkyria! **Mystic Scepter Blast!"**

Magician's Valkyria thrust forward her scepter, firing off a magical green sphere from it. It connected with Gogogo Golem, enveloping in its green aura. However, instead of destroying the Golem, it suddenly powered out of it, dispersing the energy.

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed. "Your monster wasn't destroyed? But my Valkyria has more attack points than its defense points!"

"Yeah, but thanks to my Golem's special ability, since it's in face-up Defense Mode, once per turn it can't be destroyed in a battle." Jack explained. "So my Golem lives, tough break for you, kid."

Kaosu gritted his teeth. "I place two cards face down and end my turn.

"Alright, now it's the beginning of the end for you!" Jack proclaimed, drawing a card. "I activate the Spell Card _Foolish Burial! _Thanks to this card, I can send one Monster Card from my Deck to the Graveyard, and I choose Small Piece Golem."

"First Gogogo Golem, now Small Piece Golem!" Kaosu exclaimed. "Why have I never heard of these cards before?"

"Simple kid, because these are the only ones of their kind!" Jack explained. "You see these are the prototypes cards, and have yet to be released to the public in mass production. I don't know when Pegasus will release them, or if he ever will, but I guess he just wanted to see just wanted to see how well these cards do. So he decided to put the cards up for grabs in a tournament, and guess who won?"

"Crap, so I'm dueling against cards I've never seen before?" Kaosu asked.

"You got that right, and trust me when I say my Golems are going to be the end of you!" Jack proclaimed.

"But why would you send one of your own monsters to the Graveyard with nothing to come from it though?" Kaosu asked.

"You'll find out soon enough, but first, I sacrifice Gogogo Golem in order to summon _Big Piece Golem (ATK: 2100) _in Attack Mode!" Out came a giant grey rock monster with a blank face that also acted as its entire torso. "Now I activate a Trap Card, _Call of the Haunted. _With this Trap, I can bring one monster from my Graveyard back to the field, and I choose the one I just sent there with Foolish Burial, _Small Piece Golem (ATK: 1100)." _ A small brown rock monster whose eyes appeared as if though they looking through a mask appeared. "And now I activate his special ability. If Big Piece Golem is on the field when he's summoned, I can summon forth the third Piece Golem from my deck, _Medium Piece Golem. (ATK 1600)." _A large light brown rock monster with jagged ends all over its body appeared.

"So that's why you sent that Small Piece Golem to the Grave!" Kaosu stated. "So you could bring out all three Golems!"

"Yep, and now that I've got Medium Piece on the field, I can now activate this." Jack stated, pulling out a card form his hand. "I play _Polymerization! _Now I'll fuse Big Piece with Medium Piece to form _Multiple Piece Golem (ATK:2600)!" _A giant rock monster with bricks for a torso and three-fingered claws emerged on the field.

"Ah crap…" Kaosu muttered

Suddenly, for a moment, a light blinded his eyes, and when his sight reemerged, the Golem was replaced by the silhouette of a dragon, Kaosu's eyes went wide with fear as the dragon roared and was about to attack, when suddenly it disappeared, the Multiple Piece Golem back in its place. Kaosu shook his head fiercely, trying to shake the memories out of his head, eventually glaring at Jack.

"With Multiple Piece Golem, my victory is assured." Jack sneered. "Now Multiple Piece Golem, at…."

"Not so fast!" Kaosu interrupted, regaining himself. "I reveal my Trap Card! _Threatening Roar! _Thanks to this card, you can't declare an attack this turn! So you can't destroy my Valkyria this turn!"

"Whatever, you're just delaying your defeat." Jack scoffed. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Kaosu drew a card; he eyes went wide as he felt his arm shaking.

"_Damn it, stop shaking!" _He yelled at himself. _"Stop letting this damn duel get to you! You can't let Jack beat you! Stop being afraid!" _He glared at Jack and his Golem. _"I've got to get rid of that Golem or else I won't win this duel! But I don't have any monsters strong enough in my hand, nor a Spell or Trap that can get the job done. However…I can damn sure stop him from attacking, and I have just the move to do so."_

"Your Multiple Piece Golem is certainly powerful, Jack, I'll give you that." Kaosu admitted; Jack smirked. "I admit, I can't destroy it. However…I _can _destroy your Small Piece Golem!"

"Say what?" Jack screeched.

"Attack Magician's Valkyria! **Mystic Scepter Blast!**" Magician's Valkyria raised her staff and then fired a green magical sphere from it, obliterating Small Piece Golem.

**Jack's LP: 3500**

"Woah, did you see that?" Someone exclaimed. "Jack has such a strong monster, and that guy still went and attacked his weaker monster!"

"Either he's brave, or stupid." Another stated.

"You'll pay for that, you little brat!" Jack growled. "You should've just put her in Defense, because now I'll destroy her next turn and take a chunk out of your life points!"

"I'm afraid you won't be doing any attacking, Jack." Kaosu proclaimed, confusing Jack. "Because when I attacked, I activated my Trap, _Magician's Circle! _This can only be activated when a Spellcaster declares an attack. Now both of us can search for a Spellcaster with 2000 or less attack points in our decks, and summon it to the field. However…you don't have any Spellcasters in your deck, do you?"

"Why you…!" Jack growled angrily.

"I'll take that as a no." Kaosu replied nonchalantly. "So I'll just search my deck, and then summon forth a second _Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1600)!" _A second Valkyria suddenly appeared beside the first on the field.

"Okay, you summoned another one of your pretty magicians?" Jack scoffed. "So what was the point of that?"

"To take full advantage of Valkyria's ability." Kaosu answered; Jack raised an eyebrow. "You see when a Valkyria is on the field, you can't attack any other Spellcasters beside her. So my first Valkyria protects my second one, and since my second one has the same ability, she protects the first as well, so you can't attack either of them, as well as any other Spellcasters I summon! So basically, you've been locked down!" A sudden chorus of gasps rang throughout the crowd as Jack frowned. "I set one Monster face down in Defense Mode, and end my turn. Your move."

"Did you see that move?" Someone shouted. "That was amazing! He's basically stopped Jack in his tracks!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think he might actually pull this off!" Another proclaimed.

While everyone was chatting amongst themselves about this turn of events, Kaosu was actually feeling very good about himself, even though his face betrayed nothing. With two Valkyria's out on the field, he could buy himself some time and hopefully draw a card that could destroy his Multiple Piece Golem. Suddenly, he heard a chuckle, and he, as well as everyone else, turned their attention towards Jack, who suddenly began to laugh as if though a joke had just been made.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" Kaosu shouted, a bit angered by this show of laughter.

"Oh, sorry, it's just that this all so amusing for me." Jack replied, his laughter dying down. "You're actually better than I thought you would be. Good, makes my victory more satisfying. Yet seeing you trying so hard to stop me from wiping you out is entertainment at its best, because in the end it will be all for nothing. True, the move you just played keeps me from attacking either Valkyria or any other Spellcasters, but I have other ways of dealing damage to you!"

"Say what?" Kaosu exclaimed.

"Allow me to demonstrate!" Jack replied, drawing a card. "I activate the Trap Card, _Rock Bombardment! _With this card, all I have to do is send one Rock-type monster from my deck to my grave, and I can deal 500 points of damage to you!"

"Oh no…" Kaosu muttered.

"Oh yes." Jack chuckled menacingly. "So I'll send Destroyer Golem to my Graveyard, and you can kiss 500 Life Points goodbye."

After he sent the card to the Graveyard slot, Kaosu felt something coming towards him from the sky. Looking up, he ended up wishing he didn't look as he saw a volley of giant boulders coming down towards him. Bracing himself, Kaosu was forced to take the impact as the rocks crashed down around him, dealing damage to his life points.

**Kaosu's LP: 3500**

"Damn it…" Kaosu grunted as he composed himself.

"And it's about to get worse, buddy." Jack smirked. "Because I activate my second facedown, _Just Deserts! _With this Trap Card, I can deal 500 points of damage to you for every monster on your side of the field."

"No way!" Kaosu exclaimed.

"I count three monsters, so say goodbye to 1500 Life Points!"

A red aura suddenly surrounded the school student, and he could stand there and cry out, feeling his life points get taken away.

**Kaosu's LP: 2000**

"Uh, I take back what I said about that kid beating Jack." The person from before said.

"Yeah, this kid's good, but Jack's a top-ranked duelist." Another stated solemnly. "He doesn't stand a chance."

Kaosu panted as he tried to recover from the sudden loss in life points, his half-lidded as he looked up at Jack, who only smirked triumphantly at him. The teenager clenched his fist, his grips on the cards in his hand tightening, as Jack was briefly replaced with the image of _him _grinning like a madman as his pain. Kaosu closed his eyes shut, trying to get the image out of his head.

"_This can't be happening…" _Kaosu thought angrily. _"I can't lose! Sam is counting on me! Is this guy really that better than me…After all I did to finally duel again, am I really going to lose in the end? I can't let this happen…but do I really have the power to do so?"_

"Now I may not be able to attack either of your Valkyrias," Jack reminded himself. "But since you set a monster, I can attack that! Go Multiple Piece Golem, and turn that monster to rubble!"

The Multiple Piece Golem clenched its three crane claws together and reared its arm back before throwing it forward. It struck the face down card with great force, a woman garbed in red and dark-blue robes with glowing blue orbs in pain was seen before it shattered into pieces.

"By attacking my Crystal Seer while she was face down, you activated her Flip ability." Kaosu explained, though without much energy to it. "Now I can draw two cards, and I choose one of them to keep, while the other gets sent to the bottom of my deck."

With feelings of despair and sadness creeping up, the memories starting to be too much, he felt himself beginning to resign himself to defeat, although he guessed he should at least draw the cards. Placing his hand on top of his deck, he drew two cards from it and looked down at them. When he what cards he drew, the despair in his eyes was replaced with shock as he stared at them.

"_Dark Magician Girl!" _Kaosu exclaimed inwardly, staring at the card in surprise. _"This duel has been so intense, I forgot I put this card in my deck. I did so because I felt I needed all I could get to win." _He frowned sadly as he closed his eyes. _"It doesn't matter in the end. It seems I've already lost, no matter what I do!"_

"_No, don't give up, Kaosu!"_

Kaosu's head shot up, the voice like an alarm clock that woke him up from his depressed state, his eyes wider than they have ever been before. And the reason why…was because he recognized that voice. His shot all over, as he tried to find the source of it.

"_That…that voice. That's the same voice I heard when I touched this card for the first time! The voice of a girl! Who are you? Where are you? What's going…"_

"_Kaosu, listen to me." _The female voice spoke, seemingly coming from nowhere. _"I know things may seem tough and hopeless, but you can't give up! I know you can win this duel! Jack may be good, but he lacks one thing, and that's a bond with his cards. You have that bond with your cards, I can feel it, and that will help you win!"_

"_But…but what if it's not enough?" _Kaosu asked. _"What if I'm just as weak as _he _says I am?"_

"_I will admit, I do not know who "he" is nor much about your past. But that's just it; it's all in the past, Kaosu. You have to move on. Stop being afraid, for when you do, you will finally have the strength you need to win, and finally right what was wronged. I may have only just met you, but Kaosu…I believe in you."_

"…_Who are you?"_

"_Maybe a later time I'll tell you that." _Kaosu could tell through her voice she was smiling. _"But for now, listen: I believe in you, and once you stop being afraid, and regain your belief in yourself and your cards, you can't lose."_

And after that, there was only silence, and Kaosu knew that she was gone. He had absolutely no idea who she was, or even what the hell was going on. Hell, he could've been talking to his imagination for all he knew. However, the words she spoke stuck in his head, replaying over and over. He stared down at the cards in his hand, specifically the Dark Magician Girl as he thought over many things. Yet as all this was happening, Jack and everyone else as waiting, and Jack himself was getting impatient.

"For the love of…" Jack muttered; he screamed out at Kaosu. "Hey, you twit, are you still there? Choose a card and let my destruction of you continue!"

A few seconds passed after he spoke those words, Kaosu's head bowed down and his hair shadowing his eyes. Suddenly, his head shot up, and he stared down Jack Golem, and the mentioned duelist actually took a step back, surprised by the fire in Kaosu's eyes, replacing what had once been despair and sadness. Without a word said, he picked one card out of the two he was holding, put it in his hand, and slid the second one to bottom of his deck. Regaining his composure, Jack frowned at Kaosu before smirking.

"Trying to act all cool in the end?" Jack asked. "Eh, to each his own means of taking an end. I place one card face down, and build up my defense with _Giant Soldier of Stone (DEF: 2000)_ in Defense Mode." A giant warrior made completely made out stone with two stone swords sheathed on its back appeared kneeling with arms crossed. "Your move."

"My turn…" Kaosu spoke, newfound determination present in his words; he swiftly drew another card from his deck, taking a quick look before showing it to Jack. "I activate _Pot of Greed,_ which lets me draw two cards!"

"Fine, go ahead and draw your two cards." Jack snorted.

Kaosu looked down at his deck, and placed his hand over it, closing his eyes. _"Alright deck…don't let me down." _He drew two cards from his deck in one swift motion and checked them; he narrowed his eyes. _"Perfect!"_

"Your end has come, Jack." Kaosu proclaimed. "I'm about to put an end to this duel!"

"Yeah, right!" Jack laughed mockingly. "I got two monsters out on the field, and both of them are stronger than your Valkyrias. And any monster you summon won't be strong enough to stop my Multiple Piece Golem! Face it, I'm untouchable!"

"Not after I activate _Lightning Vortex!" _ Kaosu shouted, showing the card.

"WHAT?" Jack screamed.

"When I activate this card, all I have to do is discard 1 card from my hand, and I can wipe out every face-up monster on your side of the field!" Kaosu explained.

"No, this can't be!" Jack shouted.

"Oh yes it is!" Kaosu replied; he took a card from his hand and put it into the Graveyard slot. "Now go, Lightning Vortex! Wipe out all his monsters!"

The sky suddenly darkened for a second, and in that second, a several powerful bolts of yellow rained down from the sky, striking both the Multiple Piece Golem and Gogogo Golem. They screamed and writhed in pain before they shattered into pieces, indicating their destruction. Jack could only look on in shock as his own line of defense was wiped out before his very eyes in just a second.

"No…this can't be." Jack muttered. "There's no way my monsters should be destroyed just like that."

"And now that you're wide open, I activate _Book of Secret Arts!" _Kaosu announced. "By equipping this Spell Card to one of my Magician's Valkyria, that Valkyria will gain a 300 attack point boost." _(ATK: 1600 + 300 = 1900) _"And by now adding my two Valkyria's attack power together, they have enough power to wipe out the rest of your Life Points, and with no monsters left on the field to protect yourself, they'll do just that! Go, my Valkyrias, end this duel and attack him directly!"

The two Valkyria crossed their scepters together, and the orbs embedded in them began to glow. Soon, their powers began to merge together as a large green magical sphere began to grow where the scepter intersected. As it grew in power, it got larger and larger, until it was nearly as large as the two Valkyrias.

"**Twin Mystic Scepter Blast!"**

The Valkyrias thrust forward their crossed scepters, firing off the powerful magical sphere right towards Jack. It seemed it was the end for Jack, but…

"Not so fast, I activate my Trap Card, _Negate Attack!" _The area in front of Jack turned into a swirling vortex, and it absorbed the magical sphere. "Thanks to this, I can negate your attack and end your Battle Phase altogether."

"Damn it…" Kaosu cursed. "So close, but I should have guessed it wouldn't have been that easy. But I've finally gained control of this duel. That girl was right. I can't be afraid anymore to duel, I can't keep letting the past dictate my life. It's time to move on, and now that I believe in myself and my deck, I can win this!"

"You'll pay for what you've done!" Jack roared.

"I doubt it." Kaosu replied , his indifference finally returning. "I've destroyed all your monsters, you've got no Traps or Spells, you can't attack, and I've destroyed your most powerful monster. You've lost, this duel is over."

"_Not yet it's not." _Jack thought. _"I still have one monster in my deck that'll turn this duel back in my favor, and when I summon it , your rare card will be all mine, and you'll pay for making a fool out of me!"_

* * *

><p><em>AN: There you go my friends. This is the first half of the duel between Jack and Kaosu, and I hope I did a good job with the first part of the first duel I've ever written. Originally, the duel was only supposed to encompass this chapter, but this ended up being longer than I expected, so I decided to split it up into two parts, and this felt like a good place to end it. I hope I put on an entertaining duel, and made it believable. Criticism is welcomed, and if you have any questions, just ask. Please a review, and hope you enjoyed the chapter._

_The duel between Jack and Kaosu has begun, and after taking an initial series of blows, Kaosu has finally conquered the fear in his heart, and turned this duel around, but Jack has one last trick up his sleeve. What is his trump card? Who is the voice that helped Kaosu move past his fear? And will Kaosu defeat Jack and get Sam's card back? Find out in the next chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh, Sacred Darkness._


	4. Return to the Game Part 3

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

Return to the Game Part 3

The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife as the crowd watched on in anticipation as the duel continued. Jack glared angrily at Kaosu from his end of the field, obviously irked and frustrated at what had just happened to him in the duel, while Kaosu himself just looked at Jack with his usual indifferent look, infuriating Jack even more. The crowd talked amongst themselves as all this happened, obviously enamored with this duel.

**Kaosu's LP: 2000**

**Jack's LP: 3500**

"Man, Kaosu just turned this duel completely around." Someone said. "He wiped out all of Jack's monsters just like that! He could actually win this!"

"Don't count Jack out." Someone else replied. "He still has more Life Points than Kaosu, and he's not one of the top-ranked duelists in America for nothing. Doesn't matter what Kaosu does, Jack will keep running over his Life Points."

"I don't believe that!" Another stated. "Kaosu was always pull out victories against the best in the past, and he'll do so here!"

"What's wrong, Jack?" Kaosu asked calmly. "You seem agitated. Have I ticked you off or something?"

"You little punk…" Jack growled. "How dare you do that to me! At first, I wanted to just toy around with you for amusement, but now I'm going to make sure you suffer for that little stunt!"

"I'd like to see you try." Kaosu replied challengingly. "You've got no monsters or facedowns on the field, and you've only got one card in your hand. The odds are against you right now, so you better hope you draw something good. I came to get Sam's card back and that's what I'm going to do. I end my turn."

"Oh, I'll draw something good alright, and when I do, not only will keep your friend's precious card, but I'll take your rarest card as well!" Jack roared.

"Then show me what you got, Mr. Champion," Kaosu challenged. "I'm dying to see what makes you so great in the eyes of many because from what I've seen so far, you're not all that special. Overrated is the word that describes you best."

"How dare you call me overrated! I'll make sure you pay for even suggesting such a thing! Get ready, I draw!" He drew a card from the top of his deck, and took a quick look at it. "Well what do you know…" He inserted the card into the Spell/Trap card zone. "I just drew the same card you just played. I activate _Pot of Greed, _which as you already know, let's me draw two cards."

"Well that's not good…" Kaosu muttered, remembering how that card helped him out. "I've got a feeling whatever he draws is going to be bad news for me."

Jack swiftly drew two more cards from the top of his deck, and after seeing them, his mouth curled into a malicious smirk. "Kaosu, was it? Listen up, I've drawn the card of your demise, and the one that gets me your rare card once this all over. But first, I activate the Spell Card, _Fissure! _And with this card, I'm able to drag the monster with the lowest Attack Points on your side of the field to the Graveyard! So say goodbye to one of your Valkyrias!"

As he inserted the card into the Duel Disk, the ground suddenly began to crack, widening into a big gap right under Kaosu's Valkyrias. As the Valkyrias floated above it, looking at it with caution, a hand suddenly shot up from the abyss grabbing the leg of the Valkyria with 1600 attack points, and then dragging it down to the abyss in a flash before the ground closed up again.

"No, my Valkyria!" Kaosu exclaimed.

"And with a Valkyria gone, your lockdown is no longer in effect, so I'm free to attack again!" Jack shouted. "Now to show you what happens when you mess with the great Jack Golem! I remove Big Piece Golem and Medium Piece Golem in my Graveyard from play, in order to Special Summon my most powerful creature, _Gaia Plate the Earth Giant (ATK: 2800)!"_

As he slapped the card onto the Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, the ground in front of him suddenly began to collapse in itself, leaving a big gaping hole in the earth. A big wall of orange light suddenly burst forth from the hole, and blinding Kaosu and the crowd for a few seconds. A creature began to rise along with the light, and the light dispersed into all directions. As the smoke cleared, a giant, hulking humanoid figure made entirely out of earth and stone was left in its place, its size four times larger than that of Jack's.

"Ah shit…" Kaosu muttered, taking a step back. "This is not good. Not good at all."

"Oh you are definitely right about that, you amateur!" Jack sneered. "Especially when I used Gaia Plate's special ability! When he battles a monster, the attack and defense points of the monster he battles are cut in half!"

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed; _Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1900 – 950 = 950)_. "Oh no! If that happens to my Valkyria, then…"

"Then you can say goodbye to a huge chunk of your Life Points!" Jack howled. "Gaia Plate, rock his world and destroy his Valkyria with **Giant Earth Smash!"**

The Earth Giant reared its giant rock fist, clenching it as tightly as it could and throwing it at the Valkyria. The magician could only watch with wide eyes as the fist smashed into her, crushing her between it and the ground. Kaosu braced himself as his Valkyria exploded before him into many pieces, dropping to a knee as he felt Life Points being blown away.

**Kaosu's LP: 150**

"Kaosu!" Several in the crowd screamed.

"He's finished." Someone stated solemnly. "With only 150 Life Points left, and Jack having Gaia Plate on the field and over 3000 Life Points left, Kaosu doesn't stand a chance in this duel."

"Ha, of course he doesn't stand a chance!" Jack laughed. "He never had a chance to begin with! I mean, I'm a champion duelist, one of the elite of this country, while's he's nothing more than some amateur who wanted to do the "right" thing and thought he could hang with the best! Well, look where that got him, kneeling down before the superior duelist, which is what he is supposed to do! Face it, Kaosu, I'm better than you, and you're going to lose this duel and your rare card! So just give up while you can so you can keep whatever pride and dignity you have left!"

Kaosu stayed kneeling down for a few seconds, eyes shadowed by his hair as everyone waited for his response. Eventually, he began to rise up from his position, standing right up and stared at Jack with a fierce fire in his eyes.

"I'm not giving up, Golem." Kaosu replied. "Not now or ever."

"Tch, you just don't know when to quit." Jack frowned. "Even when it's obvious you've lost, you just keep dueling in vain. Just give up!"

"You know, if I went through this when I started the duel, I probably _would _have given up at this point." Kaosu admitted, closing his eyes. "However…I'm done being afraid. Afraid of dueling, afraid of my past, afraid of it happening again…" He snapped his eyes open, eyes filled with determination. "I AM DONE BEING AFRAID! I am going to defeat you Jack, that I guarantee!"

"Once again, you just don't know when to quit!" Jack scowled. "There's no way you're going to be able to beat my Gaia Plate! No matter what you draw, it won't help!"

"That's what you think." Kaosu narrowed his eyes. "But I believe in my cards, something you would know nothing about, and I know that they won't let me down! I draw!" He drew his card swiftly, taking a quick look before turning to Jack. "I summon _Defender, the Magical Knight_ _(DEF: 2000) _in Defense Mode!" A large knight with light blue and yellow armor, a flowing blue cape, large shoulder pads, a large rectangular shield with an orb embedded into it, a small knife-like sword, and a helmet shaped like a magician's hat, appeared kneeling on the field. "It's your move, Jack."

"Ha, is that seriously all you got?" Jack laughed. "So much for 'believing in your cards'! That didn't get you much at all! Let me show you how it's done, amateur! I draw!" Jack drew the card, and smirked at what he saw. "Ha, now that's what I call a draw! But first, in order to keep Gaia Plate on the field, I remove Multiple Piece Golem from plan. And now I summon _Mine Golem (ATK: 1000) _in Attack Mode!" A yellow mechanic-looking rock warrior with a cylindrical head and electronic red eye emerged onto the field. "This monster has a nifty little special ability. When it's destroyed in battle, it deals 500 points of damage to you! Though it doesn't really matter, for he has more than enough points to wipe you out, and once I destroy your last line of defense, he'll do that. Gaia Plate, take out his last monster with **Giant Earth Smash!**"

Like before, Gaia Plate reared its fist back and threw it down at the magical knight, ready to smash him into pieces. Defender raised his shield in order to defend himself, and the fist collided with it. Several moments after the impact, however, the orb embedded into the center of the shield shattered, and a wave of energy burst forth from it pushing Gaia back and ending his attack. Jack could only watch in shock at this recent turn of events.

"What the hell?" Jack roared, pointing at Defender. "Why isn't your monster destroyed? He should be sent right to the Graveyard after that attack, especially after my Gaia Plate halved its Defense Points."

Kaosu smirked slightly. "Oh you didn't know? When Defender is successfully summoned onto the field, a Spell Counter is placed onto his shield, and whenever a Spellcaster would be destroyed, whether in battle or by a card effect, the Spell Counter takes the hit instead, so my Defender lives to defend another day. And since your Gaia Plate's effect only affects my monster when he battles, Defender's defense points return to 2000. Feel free to attack again if you want with Mine Golem, though it may cost you a few points."

"Grrr, so you managed to keep your monster on the field, so what?" Jack growled. "Next turn, I'm going to wipe it out from the field with Gaia Plate, and no Spell Counter is going to save it! And with him gone, I'll have free reign over your Life Points!"

"_I don't like to say it, but he's right." _Kaosu thought to himself. _"Without any Spell Counters to sacrifice, I won't be able to save Defender from being destroyed next turn. And if I even dare to try and attack his Mine Golem, the moment I destroy it in battle, it'll deal 500 points of damage to me, and I don't even have that many Life Points left." _He stared down at his deck in the slot. _"So it all comes down to this, this one draw. If I don't draw what I need on this turn, I'm a goner." _ He slowly placed his fingers on the top card of the deck.

"_The odds are completely against me here to draw the exact card I need." _Kaosu felt hesitant as the gravity of the situation came down upon him._ "If I don't, then I fail Sam, and I fail myself. I don't want to be afraid anymore, I want to believe in my deck, yet…I… I…I don't know if I can do this."_

"_Yes, Kaosu, you can do this."_

Once again, the mysterious female voice had returned to comfort Kaosu, but that wasn't what surprised Kaosu this time. No, what took him off guard was the slender hand of female suddenly appearing, reaching out and placing her fingers on top of his deck right beside his own fingers. Kaosu mouth hung open as he tried to figure out if his eyes and mind were absolutely playing tricks on him. He tried to looking beside him to find the owner of the hand, but he found he was unable to move his head.

"_I know that the situation seems bleak, and that the fear you overcame is trying to overtake you again, but you are not alone, Kaosu. I am with you, Kaosu, and together, we can finally banish the last of your fears away, and defeat Jack. Believe in your deck, believe in yourself, and you will draw the card you need. And if that's not enough, then I'm right here drawing with you. Now let's do this, Kaosu."_

"_I don't know who you are, why you're even doing this, or even if you're just a figment of my imagination." _Kaosu closed his eyes, and allowed a ghost of a smile to trace his lips for a moment. _"…But thank you. Now let's do this."_

With as much determination as possible, both hands drew the card from the deck in perfect unison. After he drew the card, Kaosu felt the mysterious presence disappear, and when he opened his eyes, he found the hand that helped him draw no longer there. Despite being confused about the whole situation, he was going to make sure he made most of the help he received. Glancing over at the card in his hand, he turned it over slightly so he could see what it was. Once he found out what it was, he looked at it for a few seconds before turning to Jack.

"I place one card facedown on the field." Kaosu stated, inserting the card into the Duel Disk. "And end my turn."

"Is that seriously all?" Jack laughed. "No big ol' trump card? No dramatic calling out of a miracle card? No flashy show that will end me and my life points? Ha, what an absolute joke! You talk about believing in your deck, but what has that gotten you? Pitiful draws and pointless stalling. Your cards are completely worthless, and I'm about to prove it! I draw!" Jack drew a card from his deck, pulling it to eye level. Once he saw it, he gained a slight smirk.

"_Not bad at all." _Jack thought confidently. _"This is one pretty sweet card that would definitely help me out at this point in the game, but it doesn't really matter as I've already won this duel."_

"First, I remove Small Piece Golem from play so Gaia Plate can remain on the field!" Jack announced. "And now, I'm about to end this duel once and for all! Gaia Plate, smash his Defender to the Graveyard and leave him wide open for Mine Golem with **Giant Earth Smash!"**

At the command of his master, Gaia Plate once again reared back its fist and took careful aim at the magical knight. Jack grinned like a madman, feeling victory at his fingertips, but then he heard a small chuckle. Turning his attention towards the opposite end, he found Kaosu with his eyes closed, a slight smirk on his face.

"Hey, what's with that smirk on your face?" Jack asked irked. "I'm about to wipe out the only defense between my monster and your life points! What's the deal?"

"I'm smirking because your arrogance has just played right into my hands." Kaosu explained, opening his eyes. "You see you've played down the worth of my cards so much, mocking my belief in them as well as how I play them, that you didn't even stop to consider what would happen if I drew a card that could make a difference. And now it's going to cost you, for I activate the Trap Card, _Shadow Spell!"_

"WHAT?" Jack screeched shockingly.

Gaia Plate threw forward his fist, ready to destroy Defender, however, when it did, chains suddenly shot out of nowhere from all side. The chains wrapped themselves around the arm of Gaia Plate, as well as his entire upper body, tightening instantaneously, pulling back Gaia Plate's fist and restricting it and his other arm to his body. When the chains finally wrapped themselves around Gaia Plate, it was completely immobilized.

"Thanks to my Shadow Spell Trap Card, not only is your attack stopped, but Gaia Plate can no longer attack at all as long as the Trap Card is in play." Kaosu explained. "And as an added bonus, Gaia Plate the Earth Giant loses 700 Attack Points." _Gaia Plate the Earth Giant (ATK: 2800 – 700 = 2100) _"Not bad for an amateur, don't you think? Though it was really your own fault for not taking my facedown seriously."

"You…you…you …you'll pay for that damn stunt, you punk!" Jack managed to say. "I'm an elite duelist of America, you shouldn't be doing this to me! You'll regret ever messing with Jack Golem! I set one card facedown on the field and end my turn."

"_That damn Shadow Spell Trap may have set me back a bit, but it doesn't change the fact I'm going to win this duel." _Jack thought to himself. _"I still have the perfect defense on my field, for Gaia Plate can still halve the points of any monster he battles, and Mine Golem will wipe out the rest of his Life Points if he destroys it in battle. And next turn or when he tries anything, I'll activate the Trap I just set, Release from Stone, which will bring back a Rock-type monster that was removed from play, and it will be my Multiple Piece Golem which will take out the rest of his Life Points! He's got no hope! No card he draws can destroy everything I got set up!"_

"_Deck, you've helped me out of some tight spots so far," _Kaosu said inwardly._ "So I know that you'll help me get out of this one. No more doubting. Let's do this."_

"It's my turn. I draw!" Kaosu placed his fingers on the top of the deck and drew. Once he caught a glimpse of it, and smirked. "Just what I needed. I activate the Spell, _Spellbook Inside the Pot!"_

"Spellbook Inside the Pot?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, think of it as a lesser Card of Sanctity." Kaosu replied. "Now thanks to this card, we both have to draw 3 cards from our deck." Jack scoffed as he drew three cards from his deck along with Kaosu. Once he got a look at the cards he drew Jack grinned from ear-to-ear, and it seemed it may become a permanent fixture on his face.

"Ha, thanks for the help, loser." Jack chuckled. "Thanks to the cards I just drew, you've just guaranteed your own defeat on my next turn!"

"There won't be a next turn." Kaosu replied; Jack looked up at him in confusion. "Because I'm ending this duel. First off, I summon _Breaker, the Magical Warrior (ATK: 1600) _in Attack Mode!" A slim knight similar in appearance to Defender with red and yellow armor with orbs embedded into it, a long flowing red cape, a long, sharp sword in one hand, a diamond-shaped shield in the other, and a point magician's helment on his head appeared. "And when Breaker is successfully summoned, he gains a Spell Counter, which increases his Attack Points by 300." _Breaker, the Magical Warrior (ATK: 1600 + 300 = 1900)_

"Ha, as if that would make a lick of difference." Jack smirked. "It still can't destroy my Gaia Plate, and attacking Mine Golem is suicide for you. What a waste."

"It's not when Breaker has the Spell Counter you should be worried about." Kaosu replied. "It's what happens when I remove it! And when I do, Breaker gains the power to destroy any Spell or Trap on the field, and I choose your facedown card!"

"What?" Jack exclaimed. "No, you can't!"

"I can, and I will!" Kaosu proclaimed. "Breaker, destroy his facedown card!" The magical warrior's sword glowed and he dashed forward, passing Jack's monsters and swinging his sword downward, slicing the holographic image of the facedown card in half, destroying it. "It may cost Breaker his power boost..." _(ATK: 1900 – 300 = 1600) _"But it was damn sure worth it."

"Damn you!" Jack cursed. "No matter! Leaving Breaker in Attack Mode was a huge mistake, because on my next turn, I'll just ram Mine Golem into him, and once it's destroyed, I'll wipe out the rest of your Life Points!"

"Didn't you hear me?" Kaosu questioned calmly. "There won't be a next turn! I now activate the Spell Card, _Smashing Ground. _Now thanks to this Spell, I'm able to destroy the monster with the highest Defense Points on your side of the field. And let's check out the points, shall we? Though Gaia Plate has high attack power, he has only 1000 Defense Points, but Mine Golem on the other hand…"

"…has 1500 Defense Points!" Jack's finished as his eyes widened. "That means…"

"That your Mine Golem is about to get smashed! Say goodbye!" Kaosu proclaimed; a shadow appeared around Mine Golem, and it looked up. A second later, a giant fist came down from above and smashed Mine Golem to pieces. "And since it was destroyed by a card effect, its special ability doesn't activate, meaning my Life Points are safe."

"Damn it! Damn it!" Jack cursed once again. "You'll pay for this, you little brat! Even though you destroyed my facedown and Mine Golem, you'll never get past my Gaia Plate! And even weakened, he's still powerful, and with his special ability, he's invincible! And on my next turn, I'll finish you off!"

"Gee, you have to be deaf or something since you don't seem to hear what I say." Kaosu stated. "There won't be a next turn, Jack, for now I play the card that will help end this duel. I activate the Spell, _Magical Dimension_!"

"What the…" Jack spoke confusedly. "Magical Dimension?"

"Yes, and due to the power of this Spell, I can sacrifice one Spellcaster-type monster on my side of the field, and summon another one from my hand to take its place, no matter how high its level is!" Kaosu explained; a coffin suddenly arose from the ground, opening up and encasing Defender in it. "So through the power of Magical Dimension, I will sacrifice my Defender, the Magical Knight, and summon the card that will end this duel." He took the card from his and raised into the air, showing it to all. "I summon forth the _Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2000)!"_

"YOU SUMMON WHAT!" Jack screamed in pure shock.

As he announced his summon, the coffin once again began to open, a bright light emitting from the inside. Jack held his arm up as he tried to shield himself from the light that momentarily blinded him and everyone in the crowd. After a few seconds, the light began to die down, allowing everyone to see what emerged from the coffin. When they did, a chorus of gasps suddenly rang out from the crowd, and Jack could only watch with a wide open mouth.

Coming out of the coffin was a girl with long blonde hair reaching past her shoulders, sparkling green eyes, and a beautiful face. She wore a blue shoulderless, sleeveless outfit with pink lined around the edge that covered only her upper body, showing off her slender legs and cleavage of her bust, a pink miniskirt attached to the outfits, boots that had the same design as her outfit, and arm guards that covered her palm. A tight orb necklace was wrapped around her neck, a blue colored and pink-lined magician's hat adorned her head, an orb with a hexagram on it was embedded into the center of her outfit, and she held in her hand a wand that matched her outfit. With a big smile on her face, she emerged from the coffin and winked at everyone in attendance before spinning into a pose, setting her wand across her shoulder as she prepared for battle.

"I-It's her!" Someone in the crowd proclaimed shakily. "It's really her! It's the Dark Magician Girl!"

"There's no way!" Someone replied disbelievingly. "That's impossible! Only Yugi Muto himself has the Dark Magician Girl card! No one else should have that card!"

"But it's right in front of us, guys, and there's no way the Duel Disk would project it if it wasn't!" Someone reminded them. "So it's really the Dark Magician Girl! I don't know how, but Kaosu really has it! He possesses!"

Chatter and gossip rang throughout the crowd, unable to believe the sight before them. Meanwhile, Jack Golem could only stare at the Dark Magician Girl in awe and shock, who, unable to speak from pure shock for several moments. Eventually, he managed to regain his voice and speak out.

"The Dark Magician Girl…" Jack muttered. "One of the rarest cards in all of Duel Monsters. A one-of-a-kind card. How in the hell does an amateur like him have a card like that? Only Yugi is supposed to have this card. But wait…if this card is real, then this has to be the rarest card in his deck. Which means when I win…" Jack grinned greedily. "That card will be mine! Once I defeat you, I will have the ultra-rare and valuable Dark Magician Girl card! This is my lucky day! That card will be in the hands of a real duelist!"

"Yeah, that's sounds good and all, but one problem…" Kaosu replied. "You're not going to win this duel. I am…right now."

"The hell you are!" Jack exclaimed. "Even with Dark Magician Girl on the field and your Shadow Spell Trap, she's still weaker than my Gaia Plate. And his special ability will halve the points of any monster it battles, so unless you have a monster with at least over 4200 attack points, you can't get past him! And on my next turn, I'll wipe you out with what's in my hand."

"Geez, you must be the worst listener in the history of the world." Kaosu shook his head before glaring at Jack. "There isn't going to be a next turn, because this duel ends now! I use Magical Dimension's second ability!"

"Second ability?" Jack exclaimed shockingly.

"Yes, and that second ability states that after I summon my monster, I can destroy any monster that's on the field." Kaosu explained; he raised his finger and pointed it at his monster. "And I choose your Gaia Plate the Earth Giant!"

"No, you can't!" Jack roared. "This can't be!"

"Time for your Earth Giant to crumble!" Kaosu proclaimed; the coffin reappeared around Gaia Plate, and in the blink of an eye, encased the rock within itself. After that, it sunk downward into the ground, disappearing from the field. "Gaia Plate is no more."

"No…it can't be…" Jack muttered, a look of dread and disbelief on his face as sweat poured down his forehead. "That was my ultimate creature. A worthless duelist like you shouldn't be able to destroy it just like that. This is impossible."

"Oh, it's very possible." Kaosu replied with narrowed eyes. "And now thanks to that last move, your field is wide open, leaving you open for direct attacks. And if I'm not mistaken, my monsters have enough attack power to wipe out the rest of your Life Points!"

"No, this shouldn't be happening!" Jack roared, trying to find a way out of this. "Someone like you shouldn't beat someone like me! I'm one of the best, one of the elite! You're nothing but a lowly amateur in the game! This isn't possible! This shouldn't be happening"

"Oh this is happening Jack, and now you know what happens when you underestimate me and any other duelist." Kaosu replied. "You played down the worth of my cards, my belief in them, and who I am because you thought you were better than me, and now you're going to pay the price for it big time! Breaker, you're up first! Attack his Life Points directly!"

The magical warrior dashed forward, readying his blade as Jack could only watch his approach in despair. Once close enough, Breaker raised his sword and slashed downward diagonally at Jack, and the elite duelist could only scream as he felt the sword strike him and his Life Points.

**Jack's LP: 1900**

Sweat poured down Jack's head as he struggled to stand up, fear and dread gripping his heart as Breaker jumped back to Kaosu's side. Jack stared at Kaosu, and the mentioned duelist only stared back indifferently at Jack, and for the first time since they met, the cold stare pierced Jack's heart, making his fear of certain defeat grow even more. Kaosu raised his arm and pointed his finger right at the lite duelist.

"Jack, you crushed the spirits of aspiring duelists, took their rare cards, and made them feel inferior to you." Kaosu proclaimed with a calm face, yet passionate tone. "However, I have to thank you for one thing. If it weren't for you coming here, I would have never gotten over the fear that gripped my heart. So thanks, but…that doesn't excuse you for what you've done! You think being a 'champion' makes you so much better than everyone else, but you're about to lose a common, unknown duelist! Let this be a lesson to you: Being a 'champion' doesn't make you better than anyone at all! You can lose to anyone at anytime, and that's about to happen right now! Dark Magician Girl, end this duel! Attack him directly with **Dark Burning Attack!"**

Dark Magician Girl nodded and flew right towards Jack, who took a step back as if though to trying to escape the inevitable attack. Once she was only inches from him, she raised her wand into the air, Jack flinching in response. Then for a second, she smirked at Jack before bringing her wand down, a burst of pink magical energy erupting from the tip, consuming Jack. The elite duelist cried out as he was struck by the attack, unable to do anything about it.

**Jack's LP: 0**

**Winner: Kaosu Cross**

Jack was sent down onto his back from the force of the attack, the cards in his hand scattering onto the ground. All was silent as the entire crowd took in the scene before them trying to grasp what exactly had happened. After a few moments of seemingly endless silence, someone finally spoke up.

"He did it!" Someone cheered. "Kaosu did it! He defeated Jack Golem! Our city's own Kaosu defeated a champion duelist! He finally stopped him! Kaosu! Kaosu! Kaosu!"

The person kept cheering out Kaosu's name over and over again, and soon more and more followed his example, until finally the entire crowd was chanting Kaosu's name in joy. The duelist in question, however, did not revel in this; in fact he grimaced for a few seconds before turning towards the crowd and shouted at them.

"Stop cheering me! I'm not a hero or anything! Stop it! Don't give me the attention! Come on!"

The crowd however refused to listen to Kaosu and continued chanting his name as if though it were a ritual. Kaosu sighed hopelessly and just decided to take it like a man. However, he caught a glimpse of the holograms of his monsters on the field, particularly the Dark Magician Girl as they began to fade. And as he caught that glimpse, the Dark Magician Girl surprisingly turned her head towards him, and then she did something that shocked him to his core: she smiled and winked at him.

"What the…?" Kaosu breathed out as she disappeared; he rubbed his eyes as if to make sure his eyes were okay. "Did I just see what I thought I just saw…? I mean, that was just a hologram. No way, it could've done that. But yet I saw it clear as day, so how…Oh forget it. Considering what's happened to me in the past 24 hours, why am I even surprised?"

After taking a moment to get the shocking moment out of his system, he turned his attention to the downed Jack opposite from him. Regaining his composure, he walked towards Jack and once he was right above him, he bent down, grabbed his Duel Disk, and pulled out his deck. He searched through it for several seconds before finding what he was looking for. He pulled the card out of the deck, taking a good look at it.

"This must be Sam's card..." Kaosu said to himself; he looked down at Jack. "I won this duel, so I'm taking this card back! You can keep the rest of your deck if you want." He let go of Jack's deck, letting the cards fall over the champion duelist. "Maybe next time you won't be such a jerk and mess with the wrong people."

And with that said, he turned around and walked away from the defeated duelist, the crowd continuing to chant his name. As he walked away from the scene however, he took a look at the card that he now possessed.

"_Now that that's over with, there's only one thing left to do."_

* * *

><p>Night had fallen upon the city, the moon and stars being the only source of light in the sky for now. And at this moment in time, Kaosu stood on the front doorstep of a white two-story house that was a bit similar to his own, the lamp lights on the house and on the posts around the house illuminating the area around him. The school student had his hands in his pocket as he waited on the doorstep, impatiently tapping his foot on the ground below in a rhythmic fashion, a scowl on his face.<p>

"Come on, answer already." Kaosu muttered; he rang the doorbell. "I don't have the rest of the night to wait. I got to get back home soon or my mother will chew my ass out more than she probably already will."

Kaosu continued to wait for a few more moments, impatience overtaking him. He raised his finger to ring the doorbell once again, but as he did, the door finally opened, and the person who answered was none other than Sam Kazui.

"Sorry, me and my family were just taking care of some…" Sam began; he suddenly realized who stood before him. "Kaosu! Is that really you?"

"Of course it's me." Kaosu replied indifferently. "Who else would it be?"

"W-what are you doing here?" Sam stammered. "How the hell did you find my house?"

"It was no easy feat, I admit." Kaosu replied. "It took me the rest of the day to find this place, asking people around if they knew where you lived. I couldn't ask the school since it's a Saturday, unfortunately. So many people were damn clueless about where even their own house was! I was just lucky to find someone who knew where you live before the day ended."

"Okay, but why are you here?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"To give you this." Kaosu answered; he pulled out a card from his pocket and held it out to Sam. "I believe this belongs to you."

"What the…?" Sam began; his eyes widened when he saw what it was. "Is…is that the card Jack took from me?"

"Yep, your rare card." Kaosu nodded. "Have to admit, a pretty rare one at that. Don't know where you got it, but it's not hard to wonder why Jack took it."

"B-but how…" Sam managed to speak.

"Dude, just take the card." Kaosu interrupted. "It belongs to you, and I don't want all I went through to get this to be for nothing."

Sam nodded dumbly, taking the card from Kaosu's hand and staring at it for a few seconds before looking back up at Kaosu. "How in the hell did you get this card from Jack?"

"Oh, just defeated him in a duel, no big deal." Kaosu shrugged.

"WHAT?" Sam exclaimed; Kaosu flinched.

"Hey, not so loud when your so close." Kaosu complained. "Seriously, doesn't feel good."

"B-but you quit Duel Monsters!" Sam stated shockingly.

"I guess you could say I came out of retirement." Kaosu replied nonchalantly.

"But's he's one of the best duelists in the country!" Sam reminded.

"Didn't matter." Kaosu closed his eyes, shoving his hands back into his pockets. "Like I said, I beat him, and took the card as part of our deal, simple as that. Not that hard to believe."

If cartoon physics applied, Sam's jaw would be hitting the floor at this very moment. In the span of minutes, so many things were turned upside down in front of him. He got his card back, Kaosu once again dueled after seemingly being done with it, and he defeated one of the top-ranked duelists to get his card for him. It all seemed so surreal to him that it was hard to grasp. He looked down at the card that had just been returned to him for several moments in deep thought before looking back up to Kaosu, a serious expression on his face.

"Why?" Sam asked; Kaosu raised an eyebrow. "Why did you do all this? Why after a year of adamantly refusing to duel, you pick up your deck and dueled again? Why did you go out and challenged Jack Golem to a duel with my card on the line? Why did you do all this…just to get me my card back, when you don't even know me?"

Kaosu did not reply immediately, instead opting to turn his gaze down to the floor. Sam patiently waited for an answer, anxious and curious as to what his answer would be. Eventually, without raising his gaze to Sam, Kaosu spoke up.

"I didn't want what happened to me…" Kaosu spoke lowly. "To happen to anyone else. Even if it was someone I didn't know, and even if it meant playing the game again."

Sam's eyes widened at those words, looking back down at his card for a moment before back up to Kaosu. He realized the implications behind those words, but he could tell that this was a sensitive subject for him, so he respectfully decided not to prod at it. Once again looking at the card, he smiled warmly and looked up at Kaosu.

"In any case, thanks Kaosu." Sam stated. "I truly appreciate this. You're a good friend, you know that."

Kaosu's head snapped up, his wide eyes meeting with Sam's appreciative ones. "Friend?"

"Yeah, a friend." Sam nodded. "Thanks for everything. I hope we get to know each other better in the future. I'll see you in school Monday. Later."

With one last appreciative smile, Sam closed the door, leaving Kaosu all alone on the doorstep, absorbing the word that he just heard. Eventually, Kaosu regained his composure and his eyes became half-lidded.

"A friend, huh?" Kaosu spoke. "Haven't had one of those in a long time."

He turned around and walked away from the house and down the street. After distancing himself from Sam's house, he opened up his deck box and pulled out a certain card, lifting it up so he could get a good look at it.

"I think I'll keep playing the game of Duel Monsters." Kaosu said to himself. "About time I stopped letting what happened in the past affect me now. This game means too much to me, and I'm done being afraid. And this all happened after I received this card from some creepy old man. Still don't understand it, nor do I know who that mystery girl who keeps speaking to me is, but in any case, this Dark Magician Girl card…it's definitely been for the better somehow. Hmm, I'm curious as to what happens next."

As Kaosu walked down the street, however, he had no idea that he was being watched at that very moment from the shadows. A pair of blood red eyes watched him like a hawk from atop one of the rooftops of the houses alongside the street, and as they watched Kaosu, a smirk appeared on the face of the unknown figure.

"So he's finally awakened...About damn time too. I was getting tired of waiting so much. Now to let Kaosu grow, and develop himself. With the gears now set in motion, everything will soon fall into place and nothing will stop me. Question is…just what happens next to help it all along?"

* * *

><p>Somewhere in California, a large obelisk-like building was the only structure that stood around for several miles in the area, and at the very top floor of the building was an office room. An office desk was placed at the back of the room facing the door, a bookshelf was placed on the right wall, and a chair was seated opposite from the desk. And the entire wall behind the desk was made out of windows, allowing anyone to have an amazing view of the sky and area around him. And that is exactly what one person was doing at the moment.<p>

Staring out of the windows into the night sky was a man in his 20's with brown eyes, and flowing white hair that reached down to his shoulders. He wore a red-colored tailored suit with white lining all over it along with black dress shoes. Mysteriously, his white hair completely covered over his left eye, shielding it from the gaze of anyone. The man had a smile on his face, seemingly enjoying the view of the night sky from the office. The door behind suddenly opened, and another man stepped through, much older than the other one with dark grey hair and a moustache. He wore a black suit, a green tie, and sunglasses over his eyes.

"Mr. Pegasus, sir." The older man spoke respectfully.

"What is it, Croquet?" Pegasus asked without turning around, a bit irked by Croquet's presence. "Can't you see I'm enjoying the splendid sight before me? No matter how many times I look at it, I just can't get enough it. Oh, I'm so glad I included these windows into the building's design."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Pegasus, but you told me to keep track of the competitors scheduled for the Duel Monsters American Championship Tournament that we are sponsoring in order to make sure the tournament doesn't have any complications." Croquet informed his boss. "And I have news concerning one of them."

"Is that so?" Pegasus replied. "Well then, it better be worth coming into my office without notice. I don't like being bothered with irrelevant things."

"It's concerns Jack Golem, sir." Croquet informed.

"Jack Golem?" Pegasus asked. "The one who won those Golem cards awhile back? He was a good duelist, but a horrible attitude. He should really learn better manners. But what about him that's worth my time?"

"He's just lost in a duel, sir." Croquet stated.

For the first time since Croquet entered the room, Pegasus turned away from the window and towards him. "He lost?"

"Yes, sir, my sources have confirmed this." Croquet nodded. "And it wasn't against another top-ranked duelist. No, it happened in a town called Kage City, and against an unknown duelist we were able to identify as Kaosu Cross."

"Kaosu Cross…" Pegasus said the name with great intrigue in his tone. "He defeated Jack Golem in a duel?"

"Yes sir, and from what we were able to find out, he defeated him…with a Dark Magician Girl card." Croquet told him. "And from what we gathered, it was not a fake."

For the first time since Croquet entered the room, Pegasus's expression morphed into one of surprise, his eyebrows rose as his eyes showed that genuine shock. But after a few seconds, he closed his eyes and smirked, turning back towards the windows, his hands behind his back.

"Well, my, isn't this an interesting turn of events." Pegasus stated amusedly. "Not only did this Kaosu defeat Jack, who is one of the best duelists in the country, despite his bad manners, but he did so with a card that only Yugi-boy is supposed to have. How very intriguing."

"What would you have me do, sir, in light of these recent events?" Croquet questioned.

"My curiosity has been peaked, and I wish to satisfy that curiosity." Pegasus stated. "Find out all you can about this…Kaosu. From his dueling history to his even the color of his eyes, I want to know all about him and what, if anything, makes him so intriguing. Oh, and see if you can find out where he got that Dark Magician Girl card while you're at it, will you?"

"It shall be done, Mr. Pegasus." Croquet bowed before Pegasus before leaving the room; Pegasus stared out into night sky, his smirk never leaving him.

"My…things have certainly taken an interesting turn." Pegasus said to himself. "And if Kaosu proves to be interesting, then…he will get a very exclusive invitation. Oh, I love this job of mine."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Whew, this was longer than I first intended it to be. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as well as the conclusion of the Jack/Kaosu duel. It was my first duel, and I hoped it was exciting for you all. Also, I hope I did Pegasus' character right and with justice. He has such an eccentric and colorful personality, I found it a bit hard to write him, it was the toughest part of this chapter actually. Hopefully, I kept him in character enough so there wouldn't be any problems. So here you go my friends, the next chapter, so please read and review._

_After conquering his past and his fears, Kaosu overcame the odds and defeated Jack Golem, getting Sam's card back, but it seems things have just begun for poor Kaosu. Who was the mysterious figure watching Kaosu? What will Pegasus have in store for Kaosu? And just what will Kaosu have to go through next? Find out in the next chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness._


	5. Blue Eyes, White Damsel

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

Blue Eyes, White Damsel

"Kaosu, you are the man!"

"I can't believe you're back man! It's good to have you back in Duel Monsters!"

"You're our hero, Kaosu! You're the best!"

"Taking down a top-ranking duelist? Dude, I knew you were good, but not that good!"

"You have made us proud! Keep up the good dueling!"

Kaosu, in his school uniform, groaned in obvious discomfort as he walked through the halls of Kage High School, his school bag flung over his shoulder as usual. But what was not usual was the fellow school students, both male and female, praising Kaosu as he passed by them in the halls, word of Kaosu' return to Duel Monsters and subsequent defeat of Jack Golem. As evident by his expression, he was not enjoying all the attention he was being showered with, something none of the other students seemed to notice.

"_Damn, I'm starting to regret coming out of my self-imposed retirement." _Kaosu thought to himself. _"Seriously, I liked it better when they all left me alone after I quit the game. I hate all this attention and fame, I don't want this. Why are they making a big deal out of this? What I did wasn't anything special at all. Ugh, why does it have be me to go through all of this?"_

Sighing in defeat, Kaosu decided to that the best he could do was tune them out, and continued walking down the halls. Once he reached the door to his classroom, he opened it and stepped through, finding his fellow classmates all around the classroom in groups, either talking or dueling amongst themselves. Yet that only lasted for a second once they all realized that he was there. They turned their attention to him, all noise in the room ceasing leaving only silence, which unnerved the young school student. Suddenly, a chorus of cheers suddenly rang out through them, apparently praising Kaosu just as everyone else did. Kaosu just hung his head down in defeat.

"Guys, I know you're all proud of me, but please...no more cheering for me." Kaosu muttered.

"Yo Kaosu, what's up!"

Kaosu shot his head up at the sound of the voice, and imagine his surprise when he found Sam waving at him with a big grin on his face from the other side of the room. Raising an eyebrow confusedly, Kaosu watched as Sam walked over to his side of the room and gave him a salute.

"Hey Kaosu, how's it going, my friend?" Sam asked.

"Sam, what are you doing in my classroom?" Kaosu asked as well.

"Well, I'm in your class, duh." Sam stated as if it was obvious.

"Really?" Kaosu asked surprised. "I didn't know that. How I come I didn't know you were in my class since school started months ago?"

"Well, it probably has to do with the fact that whenever you were in class, you were completely distant from everyone, and never paid attention to anyone except yourself, what the teacher is saying, and whatever is outside the window." Sam listed off as he crossed his arms. "Honestly, I'm not surprised you didn't know I was in the class."

"Well, I always had a lot on my mind, to be honest." Kaosu shrugged.

"In any case, I wanted to say thanks again for helping me get my card back." Sam stated, rubbing his hand behind his head. "Seriously, you made my day with that sort of effort. I can tell it wasn't easy for you to get back to dueling, but I appreciate you doing that for me."

"Like I said, couldn't let what happened to you stand for various reasons." Kaosu replied coolly. "I did what I had to do."

"Well, I'm glad to have met you personally, dude." Sam grinned widely. "I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship!"

Kaosu only smirked in response to his statement as Sam just chuckled away, all the activity in the room going on around them. Yet, in a millisecond, all that activity suddenly ceased as everyone froze in place. And the reason for this sudden occurrence: the sound of closing footsteps. And footsteps that sounded like the steps of heels.

"Oh shit, it's Ms. Wilson!" Someone whispered panicked. "Everyone, you know what to do, or otherwise we're toast!"

Thus began the intense scrambling of students all across the room, arranging desks in perfect order, stashing away cards, and seating themselves as fast as they could. Sam looked all around this chaos, a bit startled by such a change in atmosphere, attitude, and activity, while Kaosu just closed his eyes and calmly walked over to his seat. Sam, however, stopped with a hand on his shoulder.

"Yo, I have just a quick question." Sam told him. "I've been here for the past few months, and Ms. Wilson is strict, but why are all the students afraid of her? I mean, she seriously can't be that bad from what I've seen."

"That's because the class have done their best to not get on her bad side for this school year." Kaosu informed him. "And the reason they all do this is because when a student decided to piss her of...well, let's just say that we all learned not to cross Ms. Wilson the hard way. And if you don't want to see that happen to you, then you better get to your seat quickly."

Sam froze in horror for a second before quickly nodding and heading over to his desk, Kaosu calmly walking towards his desk and sitting down in it. Just as the last student managed to get into his seat, Ms. Wilson walked into the classroom, purpose in her stride as she walked in a dignified manner. She reached her own desk and placed the books she was holding onto it. She opened her eyes, observing the class calculatingly, and the class, minus Kaosu, stiffened in response. She looked at them with a knowing eye, as if to give out a warning to them all, before turning his attention to Kaosu

"Kaosu Cross..." Ms. Wilson said carefully. "I've recently heard a rumor that you've started playing Duel Monsters again."

"Ugh, you too?" Kaosu groaned. "Look, Ms. Wilson, yeah, it's true, but don't mention it. I seriously don't want it following me right now."

"I just thought that since you started playing again, I reintroduce you to the most important rule in this class." Ms. Wilson informed her. "No playing card games! Especially! Duel Monster! Or there will be hell to pay! Are we clear?"

"Crystal, Ms. Wilson." Kaosu replied unflinchingly. "I know better than to get on your bad side."

"Good to know." Ms. Wilson nodded. "Now let's begin the class. But before we get to today's lesson, I would like to introduce your newest classmate." Kaosu raised an eyebrow curiously at this. "She just moved here from down from Illinois and enrolled in our school. She's a bit shy, so please, do your best to give her a warm welcome and introduction to our school. Come on in dear."

A few seconds after she said that, someone entered the room through the door, albeit a bit hesitantly. A chorus of small gasps rang throughout the room as they all saw their new classmate, who stood beside Ms. Wilson and turned to them. She was a 17 year old girl with smooth, pale white skin, long white hair with a blueish tint to it that reached down to her back, with several bangs of hair covering her face, and bright blue eyes that seemingly held no sense of malice or ill will towards anything. She wore the school uniform assigned for girls, which was a light blue long-sleeved button-up top, short black skirt, and blue and black shoes. The girl was shyly looking down at the floor, an uncertain expression on her face.

"Class, meet your newest classmate, Kisara Stevens." Ms. Wilson announced. "Introduce yourself, Kisara."

The white-haired girl meekly looked up, her eyes sparkling. "I'm Kisara." She spoke softly. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

Nearly everyone in the classroom stared at her in awe of her presence, her appearance more beautiful than anything they had ever seen before. They only managed to get out a "Nice to meet you too" as they continued to stare, causing Kisara to fidget and squirm under their trance of a stare. This was promptly interrupted when Ms. Wilson slammed her hand onto her desk, snapping everyone out of their trance and grabbing their trance.

"Listen up, everyone!" Ms. Wilson demanded. "I know Kisara looks pretty, but you're making her uncomfortable with your creepy stares, and that is something I can't tolerate. Now you make her feel welcomed and comfortable here on her first day, or there will be _severe_ consequences. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone shouted simultaneously.

"Good." Ms. Wilson nodded. "So, now that's done with, Kisara, go get yourself seated. The seat near the back of the room should do nicely."

Kisara nodded and walked down the room past the rows of chairs and students. Kaosu observed her carefully, having done so from the very moment she stepped into the room, but unlike the other students, it wasn't out of awe of her, but rather out of curiosity and a certain intrigue, and he continued subtly watch her as she passed his desk to reach her own and quickly sat down in her seat, her head tilted downwards towards her desk. He watched her for a few seconds before turning his attention back to Ms. Wilson.

"Alright, now that that's done with, let's begin today's lesson." Ms. Wilson informed them. "So let's start with history..."

* * *

><p>"Alright class." Ms. Wilson closed her book as the bell rang. "It's time for your 30 minute lunch break. I'll be heading off to the teacher's lounge during this time. This time is your own, but as always be warned. If I hear any of you causing any trouble, or I find you playing card games in here when I come back, you will not like what happens as a result."<p>

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone shouted simultaneously.

With a curt nod, Ms. Wilson walked out of the room, leaving it all to the class. After she did, the class began to move about, several exiting the class so they could go to the cafeteria to eat, while the others stuck around and began chatting amongst themselves. Sam rose from his seat and walked over to Kaosu, who was in seat looking out the window next to him as usual, and sat down in the desk next to him.

"So..." Sam began. "What about the new student? She certainly is something else. I haven't seen a girl like that before in my life. She's so beautiful, so radiant...it's hard to describe her. No wonder she caught everyone's eye, even yours."

"I'm not so shallow as to be watching her because of her beauty, though I won't deny she isn't beautiful." Kaosu informed him. "That is something that other guys in this class with their minds in the gutter were doing. No, she caught my eye for a different reason."

"Huh?" Sam asked confusedly. "What do you mean, man?"

Kaosu turned his attention behind him, where Kisara was sitting down a few desks behind him. "I don't know exactly." Kaosu admitted. "There's just something different about her. I can't describe it nor explain it, but I can tell that she's special in some way. I mean, even you can tell that she's the perfect picture of innocence. I don't think there's a bad thought in her. And that's near impossible to have in this day and age as we all know. And that's just a part of what makes me curious about her." He sighed. "I seriously don't know why I'm so interested in her, I just am."

"Well, um..." Sam rubbed the back of his head. "I honestly don't understand what you're trying to say, Kaosu."

"Trust me, neither do I." Kaosu replied calmly. "But I'm not surprised, considering all that's happened to me these past few days."

Sam raised an eyebrow at that statement, as he could tell he wasn't talking about his return to dueling. He was going to ask what he meant by that when they heard the sound of a timid gasp behind them. Both boys turned their attention to behind them where they found Kisara looking up at another classmate, a frightened expression on her face. The classmate bothering her was a male around their age with slicked-back black hair, chiseled facial features anyone would die for, and sly-looking green eyes. He was currently standing beside her desk, a hand placed on it to steady himself as he leaned over Kisara, a sly smirk on his face as he eyed her.

"Hey there, beautiful." He spoke smoothly. "How's it going?" Kisara stared at him uneasily. "I just wanted to be the first here to officially welcome you to our school. And seeing as how you'rer new here, how about I take you around and show your our lovely school? I promise you'll have a good time."

"U-um...Well...I-I..." Kisara stammered.

"Oh no, it's Caesar." Sam frowned. "Can't that damn player wait even a day before doing this? I swear, no decency!"

Kaosu just stared at the scene before him with an unreadable expression for several moments before standing up from his seat. Sam turned to him with a surprised look, and without a word spoken, Kaosu walked over to where Caesar and Kisara were, listening to what the boy was saying to her.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Caesar offered. "Don't you want to get to know our school better? With me, I promise the experience will be..."

"A nightmare." Kaosu finished; both of them turned their attention to him. "Leave her alone, Caesar. You're making her uncomfortable."

"Kaosu..." Caesar narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you just run along? This isn't any of your business."

"I'm making it my business." Kaosu replied coolly. "And like I said, you're making her very uncomfortable and uneasy. Can't you see she doesn't want you around? Now I suggest you leaver her alone, or we're going to have a problem."

Caesar stared hard at Kaosu, who returned the look with one just as intense. After several seconds of the intense stare-off, Caesar scoffed and walked away from him and Kisara and exited the room as he did so. Kaosu stared at the doorway that Caesar had just went through for several seconds before the sound of shifting was heard next to him. He turned and found Kisara staring down at her desk.

"Thank you..." She stated softly. "Thank you for getting rid of him. I didn't like how he was acting towards me."

"It was no problem." Kaosu replied nonchalantly. "I wasn't going to let Caesar take advantage of you like that when you just arrived here. Someone should've warned you about him. Caesar is the school's resident playboy, a player and a heartbreaker, and the girls literally throw themselves at his feet, and he has no qualms about taking advantage of such a thing, and since you're smarter than the others, you would do best to stay away from him."

"Thank you for warning me." Kisara nodded gratefully.

"No problem." He introduced himself. "I'm Kaosu, by the way.

"I'm Kisara..." She replied softly. "It's nice to meet you."

He took a seat in the desk next to her. "You okay? He didn't try anything else?"

"No, I'm fine." Kisara assured him. "Thanks for asking though."

Kisara stared down at her desk, with Kaosu just observing her with an indifferent look before turning away. "Hey, after class is over, mind if I show you around the school?" Kisara looked up at him, a bit surprised, while Kaosu just glanced back at her. "You need to know your way around this school, and you need someone who knows this place to show you around and help you memorize this place. And I'm very familiar with this school. Plus, you need someone to keep guys like Caesar off of you considering how much attention you've already garnered."

Kisara stared at him, a bit surprised, before smiling warmly at him. "Thank you, Kaosu. I really appreciate it. I truly never expected this much kindness so quickly."

"Yeah, well, just don't take it for granted." Kaosu replied. "It's not often I do this sort of thing, so consider yourself lucky. Meet up with me at the front of the school when school is over for the day and we'll start from there."

"I will." Kisara nodded happily. "Thank you."

Kaosu just nodded back as a response, standing up from his seat and walking away without another word said. Once he reached his desk, he pulled out the seat, swiftly sitting in it and taking the position he had before he got up from it, acting as if though nothing just happened. He stared out in front of him for a few seconds before he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned his head to the left and was met with Sam, who was staring at him like he was crazy with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"What...was that?" Sam asked.

"Huh?" Kaosu raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about what you just did!" Sam whispered. "I mean, inserting yourself in a situation that doesn't involve you, talking to someone else and then offering to help that person out of nowhere? From what I've seen of you, that is not like you at all! You usually just sit in your seat, looking out the window and ignoring everything going on around you!"

Kaosu stared at him for a few minutes before turning away. "I will admit that I am not the most approachable guy in the world." He admitted to Sam. "I am not very sociable, I don't talk to other people most of the time, and I act indifferent towards a lot of things. Because of that, there have been people who say I don't care at all about what happens around me. But let me tell you something..." He turned back to Sam, a fire in his eyes. "I do care! I care more than anyone even realizes! So what if I don't talk to anyone all the time or act a bit indifferent? That doesn't define who I am inside! I know what is right and what is wrong! I have values! And I will do what is right no matter what!"

"Kaosu..." Sam said, profoundly surprised by this display of emotion.

"The only reason I don't involve myself most of the time is because what's happening around me doesn't need me at all." Kaosu told him. "But Kisara is different from the rest. She's not like any of the other girls around here, who can be vindictive and manipulating if they wanted to be. No, Kisara is sweet, innocent, even pure...I don't think she has one bad thought roaming around her mind at all. Such a person shouldn't exist, but she does. And it's just not right to let someone like her get taken advantage by people like Caesar. It's just like when I went and got your card back from Jack..." Sam's eyes widened at the reference he just made. "It was something I had to do, no matter what. And if that means stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something I don't normally do, then so be it."

"Wow...I never expected something so deep from you." Sam admitted to him.

"If you hang around with me, you're going to be surprised by me a few times." Kaosu told him. "So...still want to hang around with me?"

"Of course!" Sam smirked. "You are very interesting, and I'm eager to hang out with you more. Hell, why don't I help you show the girl around after class? This girl needs a few good guys like us to help her out on her first day."

"Hmph, if you want to help out, then I'm not going to stop you." Kaosu replied indifferently.

"Now there's the Kaosu I know." Sam chuckled.

However, unbeknownst to the two school students, one person had not left as they had initially thought. Caesar was hanging just outside the door to the classroom, leaning against the wall and peering his head through the doorway, carefully so as not to attract their attention. For a moment, his gaze was on Kaosu, his expression forming a snarl before turning his gaze to Kisara, his snarl slowly forming into a sly smirk.

"Hmph, doesn't matter what Kaosu thinks or wants." Caesar said to himself. "Kisara will be mine, and nothing will stop me from getting her."

* * *

><p>The rest of the school day went on as it normally did for Kaosu, even with the new classmate suddenly arriving. Kaosu sat in his seat, his hand propping up his own head as he watched with disinterest as Ms. Wilson taught the class in strict fashion as always. Time flew by for the school student, so fast, that the final bell rang in no time at all.<p>

"It seems school is over." She said knowingly. "Now I want you all to remember your homework, and turn it in tomorrow on time. Turning in late is not an option! And study for the upcoming test! Am I made clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the class shouted in unison.

"Good, now get out of here." Ms. Wilson told them, sitting in her desk.

The class responded to her almost immediately, as students began scrambling out of their seats with their school stuff in tow and going through the door. One by one the room emptied of students until only Kaosu, Sam, and Kisara remained along with Ms. Wilson. The white-haired girl stood up from her seat, her bag in her hands and began walking out the room. As she passed Kaosu, she turned to him with a smile.

"I'm going to go on ahead if you don't mind." Kisara told him. "I'll meet with you at the front of the school?"

"Yeah, sure, go on." Kaosu replied nonchalantly. "I'll follow you in a minute."

Kisara smile kindly at him before walking out of the room and out of sight. Kaosu just watched her leave before taking one last look out the window next to him, and as he did, Sam turned to him and spoke up.

"Hey, why are we still here when everyone left?" Sam asked.

"Because I feel like it." Kaosu shrugged.

"I think you just want to look out that window some more." Sam stated dryly. "Seriously, what makes you want to look out that window all the time?"

"I like the view." Kaosu replied simply. "Plus, it's kind of soothing. I want to look out it a bit more before meeting up with Kisara. If you don't want to be here, then leave. I'm not stopping you."

"No way, man." Sam shook his head. "I said I was going to help you show Kisara around the school, and I can't very much do that if I'm not with you. So sorry, you aren't good ridding of me that easily."

Kaosu only gave him a momentary glance before turning his attention back towards the window. The two stayed like that for a minute or two, with Kaosu looking out the window with his indifferent gaze with Sam sitting beside him, waiting impatiently for him to move about from his position. After a minute or so, Kaosu finally stood up, catching Sam's attention.

"Well, that's enough of that." Kaosu stated. "Don't want to keep her waiting any longer than she already has."

The high school student grabbed hold of his bag and walked out of the room, with Sam following close behind him muttering a "Finally" in the process. As the two exited the room, Ms. Wilson watched the two from her position in the desk, having been silent and watching the two carefully.

"First you play a game you swore not to play again after a whole year, and now your helping out a complete stranger when you don't even talk to anyone that much?" Ms. Wilson said to herself. "Hmph, you sure are stepping out of the box these days, Kaosu."

Kaosu, meanwhile, walked down the hall with his usual indifferent expression as he flung his school bag over his shoulder, Sam following his close behind. His good friend stepped up his pace until he was walking side-by-side with him.

"So...how are we going to do this?" Sam asked. "How do we go about showing Kisara around?"

"I have no idea." Kaosu replied calmly; Sam face-faulted. "I've never done this sort of thing before, even before I quit Duel Monsters in the first place. I guess I'll just improvise and make it up as I go along."

"You sure are something, Kaosu." Sam stated as he got back up. "I mean, you just offered to do something you have no idea how to do?"

"Hey, what can I say, the situation called for it." Kaosu shrugged. "In any case, I'm doing this, no matter how out of my element I am. This girls needs someone to help her out, and I've just decided that for once, I'm going to volunteer."

"You never cease to surprise me, Kaosu." Sam grinned.

Kaosu just nodded in response as the two continued to walk through the school halls before reaching the front doors. Kaosu swiftl placed his hand on thee handle and swung the door forward, opening it in swift fashion. Kaosu looked over the area before them, students scattered around the small field that were between the school and the stone walls that surrounded. Several were passing the gap of the stone walls, leaving for their homes, while most decided to stay around and chat among their friends. The school student scanned the area, in search of a girl with long white hair.

"Where could she be?" Kaosu muttered to himself. "I told her to meet us right here. There's no way she could've..." His eyes widened as his eyes landed on a pair of people. "Oh no..."

Sam followed his line of sight, and narrowed his eyes. "Goddammit, it's Caesar."

The arrogant playboy was currently standing in front of the white-haired girl several feet away from the pair of boys, leering over the girls with a sly and arrogant smirk. Kisara was rooted at the spot, looking up at Caesar with a nervous, scared, and apprehensive look on her face as she tried to back away from the boy.

"So Kisara, how about you and I ditch this place and go sight-seeing?" Caesar asked with a smooth tone.

"N-no thanks..." Kisara stammered a reply. "Kaosu is going to show me around the school? So I would appreciate it if you..."

"Kaosu?" Caesar scofffed. "That anti-social weirdo wouldn't know how to treat a girl like you to a fine time. He's not even worth your time, so let's just ditch him."

"No, I won't." Kisara replied adamantly, although nervousness could still be heard in her voice. "Kaosu told me about you, who you are, and what you've done. So please...just leave me alone."

"Tch, figures that Kaosu would try to say something bad about me to take you away." Caesar frowned. "Well, whatever said he about me was a lie. I guarantee it." He took a step forward, causing Kisara to take a step back. "So come on, just come with me, and I promise...you'll have a _great _time."

"Get away from her, Caesar." Kaosu growled dangerously as he and Sam walked up to them; the two turned to him surprise. "I thought I told you earlier to stay away from her. What, you got a hearing problem? She obviously doesn't want you around. So stop harassing her, and let her get on with her day."

"Hmph, you think you can tell me what to do?" Caesar snorted. "I'm going to do what I want to do, and you aren't going to tell me otherwise. So either you let this lovely lady go with me, or..." He cracked his knuckles. "...we can settle this the old-fashioned way. And I have no problem getting physical."

"As much I would love to bash your teeth in..." Kaosu admitted. "I have a much better of way settling this and getting you out of Kisara's way. Me and you, in a duel."

"A duel?" Caesar asked, an eyebrow raised; Sam looked at him in surprise, while Kisara just stared in confusion.

"Yeah, a duel." Kaosu repeated, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Words aren't going to get through your thick skull, it seems, and the only thing fighting on school grounds will accomplish is getting us into major trouble, suspended, and possibly expelled. So a duel between you and me is the best way to settle this."

"Hmph, you may have a point." Caesar admitted.

"So here's the deal, Caesar, if you beat me, then I will leave and let you have Kisara for the whole day." Kaosu told him; all three looked at him in surprise. "But if I win, then you will leave Kisara alone and never bother her again!"

"Dude, what are you doing?" Sam exclaimed. "You can't make Kisara a prize just like that!"

"I know that, but I can't think of any other way to get this guy off her back, so I got to do it." Kaosu replied. "So Caesar, are you up for it?"

"Hmmm, an interesting offer." Caesar rubbed his chin. "Not only will I get the girl, but I will also have the pleasure of beating the freak who managed to beat Jack Golem." He smirked. "Alright, I accept your challenge."

"Good." Kaosu said with narrowed eyes.

"Well if you're going to do this, then you're going to need this." Sam told Kaosu; he dropped his school bag to ground, unzipped it, and pulled out a Duel Disk, handing it to Kaosu. "Always keep my Duel Disk for a duel at anytime. Figured you don't have yours yet, so lucky for me I have mine."

"Thanks." Kaosu told him, grabbing the Duel Disk. "I appreciate it."

"Hey, if this only way, then you gotta do what you gotta do." Sam shrugged. "Besides, I have faith you'll beat this guy no problem."

Kaosu nodded before turning back to Caesar. "Ready?"

Caesar smirked as he dropped his own school bag and pulled his own Duel Disk. "You have no idea."

The two then walked over to the center of the grounds so as to have more room and a better position for their upcoming duel. Sam watched them as they got into position, and Kisara stood beside him watching the two as well. After a moment of silence, the white-haired girl asked a question.

"What's a duel?" she asked.

Sam nearly fell over in shock and turned to Kisara. "You don't know what a duel is!"

"No, I don't." Kisara shook her head. "Normally, a duel would be a one-on-one fight, but this can't be a fight from what they said. So what is a duel." Suddenly, she turned to Sam. "By the way, who are you?"

Sam once again nearly fell over again in shock as he realized he never introduced himself. "The name's Sam Kazui." He told her. "And a duel...well, you're going to find out in just a moment."

Kaosu and Caesar reached this positions on the grounds, standing opposite of one another several feet away from each other. They both slid their Duel Disks onto their arms in a swift motion, and as they readied themselves, the remaining school students noticing what the two were doing. Realizing that a duel was about to take place, they began to surround the two as they stared off against one another.

"Remember our deal, if I win, then you have to leave Kisara alone for good, no matter what." Kaosu reminded him. "No breaking your words or going behind our backs if you lose. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha." Caesar waved him off. "But remember, when _I _win, you have to leave Kisara to me for the entire day, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Understood." Kaosu nodded. "But trust me, that won't be happening."

The two glared at each from their positions, neither moving for a few seconds as the wind blew across them, adding dramatic effect to the scene. Suddenly, the two held their arms out, their Duel Disks connecting and activating in an instant. Both pulled out their decks from the deck boxers strapped to their waists and slid them into the deck slots in their Duel Disks, allowing the counters on them to both go up to 4000.

"Let's Duel!"

* * *

><p><em>AN: I bet you never saw that one coming did you? I'm pretty sure all of you never expected for Kisara to enter this story. If so, then I'm glad I surprised you. As for what her role will be, you'll have to find that out as the story goes on. So in any case, I'm glad I was able to update again. I'm updating quicker than I usually do these days, so I feel pretty happy about that. And in the next chapter, we'll get the duel between Caesar and Kaosu, and I'll try this make this one exciting as possible with what I've got in mind. So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review._

_A new girl, Kisara, has arrived at Kage High School, and in no time at all, Kaosu is now in a duel with the arrogant playboy, Caesar, to protect her. Why is Kaosu exactly doing this? Can he defeat the pompous player, Caesar? And just who is Kisara?  
><em>


	6. Attack of the Goblins

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

_A/N: Before we get to this chapter, I ask you, the readers, to please review this story. I don't want to beg for it, but I haven't gotten anything for the past few chapters, so please, whether as a user or anonymous, please leave a review for this story. It would really make me happy._

Attack of the Goblins

**Duel: Kaosu Cross vs Caesar Michaels**

**Kaosu's LP: 4000**

**Caesar's LP: 4000**

"Since I'm such a cool guy, I'll let you go first." Caesar smirked as he held his cards in his hand.

"You're too kind, you pompous playboy." Kaosu replied sarcastically. "I draw!" He drew his card and placed it into his hand, carefully looking over his options. "I summon _Magician's Valkyria (DEF: 1800) _in Defense Mode." He placed the card onto the Duel Disk in horizontal position, the brown-haired female magician appearing in a kneeled position with her staff raised. "And next, I set one card face down on the field to end my turn."

"_I have to play it safe for now and feel this guy out." _Kaosu thought inwardly. _"I have no idea what kind of deck he uses, and after getting surprised by Jack and his Golem monsters so much, I can't take any chances and let that happen again."_

"Hmmm, I didn't know you had such pretty monsters in your deck." Caesar commented with a sly tone, drawing a card. "Too bad I'll have to destroy her. Maybe I'll take her off your hands once this is over. Now…" He looked at his hand. "Which card should I play first? All of them look promising."

"We love you, Caesar!" All the girls shouted. "Beat this joker for us, Caesar!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kaosu exclaimed, nearly falling over in shock. "You can't seriously be cheering him! Are you seriously that shallow to cheer for him despite his reputation and hearing our deal? Tch, some people…"

"Thank you for all your support, girls." Caesar replied with a flirty smirk. "It truly means a lot to me at this moment." He winked at the girls, who squealed at the gesture.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Kaosu blanched.

"Now where was I?" Caesar said, looking back at his hand. "Oh yeah, that's right! I was summoning my _Goblin Attack Force (ATK: 2300) _in Attack Mode!" As he placed the card on his Duel Disk, a platoon of goblins wearing leather armor and gold helmets with clubs in their hands appeared on the field.

"Goblin Attack Force?" Kaosu asked surprised. "On your first turn?"

"Yep, and now I'm going to equip him with _Fairy Meteor Crush!" _ Caesar announced. "Now thanks to this card, when my Goblin Attack Force destroys a monster in Defense Mode, and its attack points are higher than your monster's defense points, the difference comes out of your Life Points!"

"Oh crap…" Kaosu frowned.

"Now go, Goblin Attack Force!" Caesar shouted. "Run over that Valkyria!"

The goblins obeyed their master and quickly stampeded right over to the Valkyria. The female magician's eyes widened in shock and fear just before the goblins were on top and they struck her with her clubs from all sides, destroying her. Kaosu braced himself as the counter on his Duel Disk dropped a few points.

**Kaosu's LP: 3500**

"Now that is what I call a move." Caesar smirked; the goblins suddenly fell down to the ground sleeping. "But due to Goblin Attack Force's effect, he goes into Defense Mode after attacking." _Goblin Attack Force (DEF: 0). "_So to end this turn, I'll play two cards facedown. Your move."

"So…a duel is a card game?" Kisara asked as she watched the duel progress.

"Yep." Sam nodded beside her. "Duel Monsters, to be precise. Most popular card game in the world. It's gotten so big that you can play the game anywhere with lifelike holograms on advanced gaming devices. And the game can be used to settle a lot of disputes, like now. It's a better way to do so then beating the crap out of each other. You have nothing to worry about though; Kaosu is pretty good at this game. He'll beat Caesar and get him off your back for good."

"_This card game…" _Kisara thought to herself. _"Why does it seem so familiar?"_

"Alright then! My move!" Kaosu stated, drawing his card.

"_He's up to something." _Kaosu thought. _"Goblin Attack Force is a powerful four-level card, but it's better suited as a finishing blow, not an opening move. Thanks to its ability, Caesar can't switch it from defense mode until after his next turn, but he knows this. It must have something to do with his facedowns. Hmph, I'll bite, only if to find out his strategy."_

"I summon _Defender, the Magical Knight (ATK: 1600) _in Attack Mode." Kaosu announced; the knight appeared with his stoic expression, readying his small blade and giant shield. "With 0 defense points, your Goblin Attack Force is as good as gone. Defender, attack!" The magical knight rushed forward and readied his blade to strike the goblins down, but Caesar just smirked.

"Ha, you fell for it!" Caesar laughed. "I activate my Trap, _Zero Gravity!"_

Defender swung it blade forward, but suddenly it stop just an inch from them. Then, its entire body was suddenly twitching, and then it was moving on its accord. Try as it might, Defender was forced into a kneeling position, his shield held up in front of him to protect himself _(DEF: 2000)_. The goblins, on the other hand, woke up suddenly from their nap and rose up, looking ready to tear something apart _(ATK: 2300)_.

"What the hell just happened?" Kaosu exclaimed.

"My trap, Zero Gravity, is what happened." Caesar chuckled. "Thanks to it, all monster positions on the field are automatically switched, no matter the effect. So your Defender is switched to defense, while my Goblins are switched to attack."

"_So that's what he was aiming for!" _Kaosu thought. _"I think I know what his strategy, but I need to see more."_

"I throw one card facedown and end my turn." Kaosu stated as he inserted a card into a slot. "Make your move."

"With pleasure." Caesar replied, drawing his card. "Now I activate my second Trap Card, _Trap Stun!" _ The holograms of Kaosu's facedowns were suddenly covered in electricity. "Now you can't activate any of your traps because they'll be negated this turn! So sorry!" Kaosu gritted his teeth. "I now summon _Goblin Black Ops (ATK: 1300)._" Another legion of goblins, this time dressed in tight black suits and carrying an assortment of stealth weapons appeared on the field.

"More goblins?" Kaosu asked.

"You got that right." Caesar replied. "And these goblins, my friend, are going to run you over. Now Goblin Attack Force, destroy his Defender! Stomp that knight!"

The Goblin Attack Force eagerly obliged as they ran over to the magical knight and began to bash him in with their goblins. However, the Defender refused to give in and raised his shield to defend himself from the oncoming clubs. And then, the orb embedded in his shield glowed and then emitted a magical wave, pushing the goblins back, and as this happened, the counter on Kaosu's Duel Disk dropped again.

**Kaosu's LP: 3200**

"Wait a minute, why the hell is your monster still alive?" Caesar exclaimed as his goblins fell into defense mode _(DEF: 0)_. "My monster should've destroyed him."

"It's thanks to his special ability." Kaosu explained. "I thought you were up to something fishy before, so I summoned Defender for insurance. See, he gains a Spell Counter when summoned, and I can sacrifice that counter to save a Spellcaster from being destroyed, including himself. So he's here to stay for now."

"Hmph, you still take damage thanks to Fairy Meteor Crush." Caesar reminded. "Still, got to give you credit, anticipating my Goblins returning to Attack Mode so quickly was pretty good for you. Though your Defender won't make a difference for you see my Goblin Black Ops have a special ability of their own. They can attack you directly!"

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed surprised.

"Go Goblin Black Ops!" Caesar ordered. "Attack his Life Points directly!"

The stealth goblins readied their blades before they suddenly vanished into thin air. Kaosu was taken back by their sudden appearance, and in the blink of an eye, the goblins appeared right before him. The school student had no time to react as the goblins slashed at him from all sides with their weapons, tearing away at his Life Points.

**Kaosu's LP: 1900**

"Now just like my Attack Force, my Black Ops have to switch to Defense Mode." _Goblin Black Ops (DEF: 0). _"So I'll end my turn with one card facedown. Your move, Kaosu."

"So amazing!" The girls shouted. "You're the best, Caesar! No one can do better than you!"

"Oh for the love of…" Kaosu groaned.

"Once again, your loving support is appreciated, my ladies." Caesar answered the girls, his flirty smirk back on.

"That Caesar never fails to sicken me." Sam shook his head.

"So, is Kaosu losing?" Kisara asked as continued to observe the duel.

"Unfortunately, he is at the moment." Sam frowned. "When your Life Points reach 0, you lose, and he's already lost half of his Life Points. But don't worry, Kaosu will turn this around soon enough. He won't lose to this punk."

"_I've never played this game before…" _Kisara thought. _"But I know I've seen it somewhere before. But where?"_

"Once again, it's your move." Caesar told Kaosu.

"_It seems his deck is based around Goblins." _Kaosu thought. _"And while those monsters may have helpful abilities and high points, they are forced to switch to defense after one attack, which is practically none. But based on what happened on my last turn, his strategy is using his Spells and Traps to work around their hindering effects and get them back into Attack Mode quickly. And if I'm guessing correctly, then his facedown has to be another Zero Gravity. So I'm going to have find a way past it."_

"My turn!" Kaosu drew a card and glanced at it; he narrowed his eyes.

"_Perfect!" _

"I switch Defender back to Attack Mode." Kaosu announced; the magical knight stood up ready to fight. "And now Defender, strike down his Goblin Attack Ops!"

The knight rushed forward and swung his blade towards the goblins, but Caesar smirked. "Ha, you never learn, do you?" He stated. "I activate the Trap, _Zero Gravity! _Now all the monsters on the field must switch positions! Looks like you fail again!"

"Actually, I was hoping you would do that." Kaosu smirked.

"Wait, what?" Caesar asked shocked.

"I've realized your strategy is to manipulate your Goblin's battle positions and work around their hindering effects." Kaosu explained, pulling a card from his hand. "So I knew you would play Zero Gravity again to save your Goblins. But that fell into what I was planning. So I'm chaining your Zero Gravity with the Quick-Play Spell, _Magical Dimension, _from my hand!"

"What?"

A coffin suddenly appeared and encased Defender in it. "Now, since I have a Spellcaster on my field, I can sacrifice a monster on my field and summon another Spellcaster directly from my hand. So I sacrifice my Defender so I can summon onto the field the _Chaos Command Magician (DEF: 1900)!"_

Exiting the coffin was a tall male garbed in dark green magician's armor with a flowing green cape, a curved magician's helmet, and a green scepter in his hands. He knelt down with arms crossed over his chest, signifying his summoning in Defense Mode.

"Oh, and now that I summoned a Monster this way, I can destroy one monster on the field." Kaosu added. "So say goodbye to Goblin Attack Force!"

"What?" Caesar exclaimed; his Goblin Attack Force shattered before his very eyes.

"And since I chained your Zero Gravity with my Magical Dimension, my spell card's effect takes place before yours does." Kaosu explained with a smirk. "So now your Trap takes effect, and since my monster is in defense…"

"Oh crap!" Caesar cursed. "That means your monster will get switched to attack as well!"

The Chaos Command Magician wasted no time as he stood up quickly, a powerful and dominant air gracing him _(ATK: 2400)_ while the Goblin Black Ops woke up from their naps and held their weapons at the ready _(ATK: 1300)._

"And since this all took place during my Battle Phase, I can still attack, so Chaos Command Magician, attack!" Kaosu ordered. "Destroy his Goblin Black Ops!"

The green-armored magician held up his scepter in front of him, and a mass of green magical energy began to form at the tip of it. When enough energy had been amassed, he pulled his scepter back before he thrust it forward, firing off a stream of green magical energy. It struck the goblins full force, completely obliterating him as Caesar held up his arm to brace himself from the impact as his Life Points dropped.

**Caesar's LP: 2900**

"Damn it, that did not just happen." Caesar growled. "How could someone like him pull that move on me?"

"And I'm not done yet." Kaosu proclaimed. "I now activate my Trap Card, _Magician's Circle! _Since a Spellcaster just declared an attack, we can both summon from our decks a Spellcaster with 2000 or less attack points. But since you likely don't have one, don't bother." He pulled out his deck and searched through it, pulling out a card. "And I know just the one I want in this situation. She's the newest addition to my deck. Come on out, _Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2000)!"_

He placed the card on the Duel Disk, and sure enough, the iconic and beautiful female magician appeared before all in attendance, hovering above the ground with a joyful smile on her face as she tipped her hat to all before landing in a pose, wand placed across her chest as she formed the "V" sign with her fingers over her eyes. Just like last time, a chorus of gasps as chatter of this rare and iconic card being in Kaosu's possession rang out throughout the crowd, and Sam himself watched this new development with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"What…the hell?" Sam managed to get out. "That can't seriously be the Dark Magician Girl! It can't be! But if it is…Then where the hell did Kaosu get his hands on a card like that?"

"Um…is that card rare or something?" Kisara asked.

"Rare? It's one of the rarest cards in all of Duel Monsters!" Sam exclaimed. "It's one-of-a-kind, and only one person is known to have it, and that's the King of Games, Yugi Muto! So Kaosu, as cool a guy as he is, having this card is just shocking! How the hell did he get it?

"I heard rumors that you had this card for the past few days…" Caesar muttered as he stared at the Dark Magician Girl. "But I never believed them until now. How in the hell did someone like you get a card like this?"

"None of your business." Kaosu spat. "But since you seem to admire her so much, I'll let you have a close look. Dark Magician Girl, attack him directly! **Dark Burning Attack!"**

The female magician nodded as she flew over towards the arrogant playboy, who stiffened in apprehension. As she got closer, she pulled her wand back, and once in striking range, she threw her wand forward, firing a burst of pink stream energy from the tip of her wand. Caesar was hit full force with it and sent flying down onto his back as the counter on his Duel Disk dropped down dramatically.

**Caesar's LP: 900**

"Caesar!" The girl squealed.

"Yeah, take it to him, Kaosu!" Sam cheered.

Caesar grunted a bit as he stood up. "You'll pay for that, Kaosu." He stated; he stared at the Dark Magician Girl. "Still can't believe the card of such a beautiful female is in the hands of someone like you." He then smirked. "So I guess when this is all over, I'll take it off your hands. Trust me, it'll be better off with me."

"_Ugh, just a few minutes into knowing him and I really don't like him at all."_

Kaosu stiffened at the sudden female voice that sounded in his mind, but then relaxed when he realized that it was the same voice from his duel with Jack Golem, though still a bit surprised to be hearing her.

"_Yeah, I don't blame you." _Kaosu replied, surprised that he was talking to a mysterious voice so casually. _"He's arrogant, he's a player, and he's absolutely insufferable around anyone that's not a pretty girl. Even though I'm doing this to keep him off Kisara, it's actually a pleasure kicking him around in this duel."_

"_And it's a pleasure to watch you do so." _The voice stated, very pleased; a short pause followed.

"…_By the way," _Kaosu broke the silence. _"Who are you? I haven't heard from you since my duel with Jack, and to be honest, I'm a little freaked about this whole thing. So please tell me."_

"_Sorry, I can't say just yet." _The voice giggled; Kaosu scowled. _"Oh, don't be like that, Kaosu. I'll tell you soon. It just has to be at the right time. But just so you know, I'll be right beside you, helping you out when you need me." _And the presence of the voice disappeared, leaving Kaosu to the world around him.

"Hey, are you going to make another move or not?" Caesar asked irritated, bringing Kaosu back to reality.

Kaosu looked over the options in his hand, before grabbing one. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"About time." Caesar stated as he drew a card; he looked at his card with a frown. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"No monsters, huh?" Kaosu observed. "Well that's fine by me!" He drew a card. "My move!"

"_He's got no monsters on the field, as well as no cards in his hand." _ Kaosu thought. _"Normally, that would make him a sitting duck for my monsters, but his facedowns could stop me. But if I don't attack, not only will I be giving him a chance to recover, I'll be letting him have the chance to use those facedowns later, and I can't let that happen, so I'll take my chances."_

"Alright then, it's time to end this now." Kaosu announced. "Chaos Command Magician, wipe out the rest of his Life Points!"

The green-armored magician twirled his scepter in his hands before thrusting it forward, firing off the stream of green magical energy from it toward the arrogant playboy. However, it seemed Caesar was not ready to go down just yet as he pressed a button his Duel Disk.

"I activate my facedown, _Negate Attack!" _ Caesar announced; a swirling vortex absorbed the attack. "You obviously know what this does. It negates your attack and ends your Battle Phase."

"Hmph, fine." Kaosu replied. "To be on the safe side, I equip Chaos Command Magician with _Book of Secret Arts! _Now Command Magician's attack points increase by 300." _Chaos Command Magician (ATK: 2400 +_ _300 = 2700) _"And with that, I'll end my turn. So you better make your turn count."

Caesar scowled as he drew his card, but when he took a look at it, his scowl turned into a wide grin. "Looks like I'm about to get a lot more options." He stated. "I activate the Spell, _Card of Demise. _Now I get to draw until I have five cards in my hand." He swiftly drew cards until he held five. "Only downside, after five turns, I lose my hand. Though I'm sure the duel won't last that long."

"Crap, he's got an entirely new hand." Kaosu muttered.

"Nice." Caesar grinned more. "Look at what I just drew. _Pot of Greed_, which lets me draw two more cards from my deck." He drew two cards and placed them into his hand. "With this, I now six cards in my hand. How amazing is that?" Kaosu gritted his teeth. "And now I'll start using them. First, I'll activate my Trap, _Call of the Haunted,_ allowing me to bring back a monster from the grave, and I choose _Goblin Black Ops (ATK: 1300)." _The stealth goblins rose from the ground, full of life as they held their weapons. "And now I summon another _Goblin Attack Force (ATK: 2300)." _The legion of goblins once appeared on the field, holding their clubs menacingly.

"Those two goblins again?" Kaosu asked.

"And it's only going to get worse, for I activate the torrential magic of _Mystical Space Typhoon!" _Caesar announced; a sudden gust of wind came out, blowing at one of Kaosu's facedowns and destroys it. "That's it for your facedown. And now I activate _Hammer Shot! _And now, thanks to this card, the monster with the highest attack points on the field is destroyed! So time for Chaos Command Magician to go down!"

A giant hammer suddenly appeared and the Goblin Attack Force grabbed hold of it, staggering around with the sheer size of it before pulling it back and then throwing it downward towards the green-armored magician. The Command Magician could only watch as the hammer descended and crushed him into tiny little pieces, Kaosu brining his arm up to brace himself from the impact.

"And now that that's out of the way, I equip _Invigoration _to Goblin Attack Force!" Caesar followed up. "This gives my Earth-attribute Goblin Attack Force a 400 attack point boost!" _Goblin Attack Force (ATK: 2300 + 400 = 2700). _"Normally, it would also decrease its defense points as well, but since it has no defense points, no loss for me right?"

"Crap…" Kaosu gritted his teeth.

"Now it's time to use those extra points to end this duel." Caesar smirked. "Go Goblin Attack Force, clobber his Dark Magician Girl!"

"I activate a Trap, _Shadow Spell!" _Kaosu proclaimed; chains suddenly appeared, wrapping around the goblins and tying them all together. "This Trap stops your attack, and makes it so your Goblin Attack Force can't attack anymore and loses 700 attack points!" _Goblin Attack Force (ATK: 2700 – 700 = 2000)_

"Tch, you may have stopped my Attack Force, but I still have my Black Ops!" Caesar reminded. "And remember, they can attack you directly!" Once again, the stealth goblins vanished before reappearing in front of Kaosu and slashed away at his Life Points.

**Kaosu's LP: 600**

"And next," Caesar began as the Goblins switched to Defense Mode. "I'll end my turn with two facedowns!" Caesar stated as he inserted the cards in the Duel Disk; Kaosu backed up a bit from the attack he took. "It's your move, Kaosu."

"_This duel is over." _Caesar thought triumphantly. _"If he dares to attack, my Mirror Force will surely put an end to him and his monsters. Not to mention my Final Attack Orders will surely cinch my victory when I activate it and my next turn comes. And when that happens, Kisara will be all mine."_

"_Damn it, our Life Points are nearly even." _Kaosu thought as he surveyed the field. _"He's got two monsters on the field, one I immobilized thanks to my Trap, but another monster that can attack me directly and destroy the rest of my Life Points. I could attack it with Dark Magician Girl, but those facedowns have to be insurance against such an attack. Plus, he must be planning to switch Black Ops to Attack Mode through a card effect by the time his next turn comes so he'll finish me off."_

"_Looks like you're in a tough bind." _The voice stated.

"_Yeah, but I think I can turn this around, and win this duel." _Kaosu replied.

"_Really?" _The voice asked surprised.

"_Yeah, but it's all depends on if I can draw what I need." _Kaosu explained. _"I need to summon a certain monster onto the field, and with it, I'll be able to use the last card in my hand that'll help me win."_

"_So you need to draw this monster to win?"_

"_No, I won't be able to summon it normally in this situation." _Kaosu answered. _"But there's a card in my deck that will let me summon it straight from my deck to the field. If I can draw it, then I can cinch this duel."_

"_Is that so?"_

"_Yeah…" _Kaosu thought as he placed his fingers on the top of his deck. _"You know…I'm shocked at how casually I'm talking to a freakin' voice in my head. I should be freaking out on the inside right now, but instead I'm talking to you like I would to anyone else…"_

"_Well, you seem to be the kind of person who can adapt quickly to anything, no matter how outrageous it is. Good quality to have, in my opinion. So…you ready?"_

"_You bet. Deck…I put all my faith in you. Don't let me down."_

"Here goes!" Kaosu exclaimed as he drew the top card.

"And now I activate my Trap, _Final Attack Orders!" _Caesar announced. "Now every monster is forced to be in Attack Mode as long as this card is on the field!" _Goblin Black Ops (ATK: 1300). _"So now next turn, my Black Ops will attack you directly again and you're finished! There's nothing you can do!"

Kaosu narrowed his eyes at this new development, and brought the card he drew in front of him, flipping it over so he could see what it is. And the moment he saw what it was, his eyes widened.

"_Yes, I got it!"_

"I activate the Spell Card, _Dark Magic Curtain!" _Kaosu announced; a large black circular curtain with the upper half of skeleton attached to top and the symbol of hexagram on it appeared.

"What the…" Caesar muttered; everyone in attendance looked at this new development curiously. "What the hell does that do?"

"Well, first, I have to pay half of my Life Points in order to use this card." Kaosu stated. "But it's damn sure worth it."

**Kaosu's LP: 300**

"And now that I've met the cost, I can now summon a certain monster straight onto the field!" Kaosu announced. "You all may recognize this monster, but it'll look a bit different from the one you guys know and love."

"What do you mean?" Caesar exclaimed.

"Ladies and gentleman, say hello to my very own…_Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)!"_

The skeleton pulled back the curtain attached to it, and from the magical dimension inside it came out a young-looking man wearing full-body magician's armor that only revealed his hands and face. The armor was a dark violet color with red-colored linings all around the around the armor. He had large, pointed shoulder pads, a cape wrapped around the waist, a pointed magician's helmet attached to the armor, and a green staff in its hand. The last details were his pale greenish-white skin, and his greenish-yellow long hair. The magician crossed his arms over his chest as he hovered beside the Dark Magician Girl, a stoic expression on his face before it slowly morphed into a smirk.

"W-What?" Caesar stammered shocked; a large chorus of gasps was heard around them. "The Dark Magician? That's impossible!"

"Dude, look at that Dark Magician!" Someone in the crowd stated. "It looks different from the one Yugi Muto has!"

"Yeah, especially with the skin and hair!" Another commented. "It's like a different version of the Dark Magician, just for Kaosu!"

"First Dark Magician Girl, and now his own version of Dark Magician?" Sam managed to get out through his shock. "Just how many more of these cards does he have?" But as he watched this development, he failed to notice the look of realization cross Kisara's face.

"_I…I recognize that monster!" _Kisara thought. _"Granted, it looks different from the one I saw before, but I remember that monster…Wait, I remember now! I've seen this game before! It was the game _he _was playing! The game I watched him play with such passion and ferocity. This is that game…" _The gears in her head began to turn. _"You know, since he plays this game so much, one can have a chance to meet him through this game if they are good enough…and Kaosu is really good at this game… "_

As these thoughts and more ran through Kisara's mind, Caesar was trying his best to get a grip on the sudden development as he clenched his fists, Kaosu looking at him with his indifferent gaze, his two magicians flanking him.

"Okay, so you have a Dark Magician, so what?" Caesar growled. "I'm still going to win, no matter what!"

"Actually, I've just guaranteed my victory over you." Kaosu told him. "Because I'm now activating the last card in my hand, a personal favorite of mine. _Dark Magic Attack!"_

"Dark Magic Attack?" Caesar asked.

"Yeah, it's a Spell that can only work if Dark Magician is out on the field." Kaosu explained. "But once I use it, it sucks for you because with it, Dark Magician can wipe out every Spell and Trap on your side of the field."

"Say what?" Caesar exclaimed.

"Strut your stuff, Dark Magician! **Dark Magic Attack!"**

Obeying his master, Dark Magician jumped high up into the air, the eyes of everyone following him. Twirling his scepter for a few moments, he held it above his head as an enormous amount of dark magical energy built up at the tip, forming a massive sphere above him. He flashed a smirk down at Caesar before giving out a battle cry, throwing his scepter downward and firing off the magical energy sphere from it. And instantly, it struck the holograms of all of Caesar's Spells and Traps on the field, and in just one moment, they were all shattered to pieces.

"And since Call of the Haunted was keeping Goblin Black Ops on the field, that monster goes as well." Kaosu stated; the stealth goblins were caught up in the blast radius shattering to pieces. "Oh, and without Invigoration, Goblin Attack Force loses its point boost." _Goblin Attack Force (ATK: 2000 – 400 = 1600). _"And with that done, you're basically open for the assault from my magicians."

"Crap, this can't be happening." Caesar growled. "I'm handsome, I'm smooth, I'm popular, I shouldn't lose to an anti-social indifferent weirdo like you!"

"Well, too bad, because you're about to." Kaosu replied indifferently. "Just because your all that, doesn't mean your better than me. And just to let you know, I am going to enjoy this! Dark Magician, destroy his Goblin Attack Force and end this duel! One more time with **Dark Magic Attack!"**

With a smirk and nod, the magician showed no hesitation as he twirled his scepter one more before thrusting it into the face of the goblins, firing off a burst of dark magical energy from it. The goblins were completely overwhelmed and soon enough they were shattered into tiny pieces before Caesar's very eyes. The arrogant playboy could only brace himself as he felt the energy overtake him now.

**Caesar's LP: 0**

**Winner: Kaosu Cross**

The remaining cards and monsters on the field slowly disappeared as the duel came to its conclusion. Caesar fell to a knee as Kaosu crossed his arms over his chest, looking over him with an indifferent gaze. Caesar lifted his head in order to glower at Kaosu.

"I win, Caesar." Kaosu stated. "So as per our agreement, you must never bother Kisara ever again. And you better honor that agreement, or you're going to end up in a worse state than you are now, you can bet on that."

Growling, Caesar stood from his spot and angrily waved off Kaosu, obviously angry about the result of their duel, but unable to do anything about it. He turned on his heel, grabbing his school bag and walking away. The girls cheering him were distraught and ran over to him, trying to comfort him as he walked away from them and the school. Kaosu gave him a moment of his time before grabbing his Dark Magician card from his Duel Disk and raising it in front of him, looking at the art carefully, which showed his magician with a confident smirk.

"_I'm surprised, to say the least." _The female voice stated in his head. _"I never expected that you would have a Dark Magician card."_

"_Yeah, well, I'm not surprised." _Kaosu replied. _"This is one of the rarest cards in the game, and it's the iconic card of Yugi, so anyone else having it is a shock. But I'm glad that it's a different version from the one Yugi has. It truly makes me feel like this Dark Magician was meant for me, that it's my very own, instead of feeling like it's a copy of Yugi's."_

"_Where did you get this card?"_

"…_I don't want to talk about it."_

The female voice seemingly let the subject drop as she did not respond and Kaosu felt her presence disappear. Kaosu faintly noticed as the crowd that gathered slowly scattering away, for he gathered the cards in his Duel Disk back up, and placed them back into the deck box strapped around his waist. And as he finished this, Sam ran up to him, Kisara close behind him.

"Dude, that was amazing!" Sam exclaimed; Kaosu pulled the Duel Disk off his arm. "Not just because of how you dueled, but because you had both a Dark Magician _and _a Dark Magician Girl card! Where the hell did you get those cards man?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out." Kaosu replied simply; he handed the Duel Disk to Sam.

"Ah, you're no fun." Sam pouted, grabbing the Duel Disk from him; Kaosu turned to Kisara.

"Well, Kisara, you won't have to worry about Caesar anymore." Kaosu told her. "Especially after he agreed to those terms in front of so many and was defeated like that."

"Thank you so much." Kisara smiled warmly. "I truly appreciate what you did."

"It was no problem." Kaosu shrugged. "It was a pleasure actually to beat him like that. But because of that duel, I don't think there's going to be any more time for us to tour this school today."

"Oh, I don't mind." Kisara told him. "We can do that tomorrow."

Kaosu just nodded at her understanding and was seemingly about to leave until he noticed something different about Kisara. She was currently looking down on the ground, her expression reflecting that of thought, as if she was thinking hard about something, debating on that certain something so much.

"Something wrong, Kisara?" Kaosu asked; Kisara looked up at him surprised. "You have a hard look on your face, one that definitely suggests your thinking about something. Not that hard to read be honest. So again, something up?"

"Just…thinking about the card game you just played." Kisara answered. "Duel Monsters, I think it was called…"

"Yeah, it's a pretty interesting game." Kaosu replied, a curious eyebrow raised. "And from what you said, it sounds like this was your first time watching a duel like this. So what about Duel Monsters that has you think so much? Doesn't seem like it would be in the forefront of your thoughts."

"Well, it's just that…well, I was watching your duel with Caesaar…" Kisara began nervously. "And after the duel ended, I got to thinking…that the game was interesting, and though I didn't understand it…I…wanted to…learn more about it."

"What are you saying, Kisara?" Kaosu asked suspiciously.

"I was thinking…considering…that maybe…you could…teach me how to play Duel Monsters?" Kisara asked, averting her eyes.

"Wait, back it up, what?" Sam exclaimed in shock; Kaosu stared at her wide-eyed. "You want him to teach you how to play Duel Monsters? You just met the dude, and just saw your first duel not five minute ago, and you're already asking him to teach you play the game?"

"I know it's quite sudden and unexpected…" Kisara admitted. "But, I'm really intrigued by this game, and I want to learn more about it. I'm at least willing to give it a chance."

"I'm…I'm not really sure if I can teach you…" Kaosu rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not really the teacher-type, to be honest. I don't think I would be able to help you out as well as someone else…"

"But…you seem to be really good at this game…" Kisara pointed out. "And…you're the only one I know right now that knows this game so well, so if it was anyone else, I would be a bit uncomfortable. So…can you please teach me?"

Kaosu just looked at Kisara with an uncertain expression, the white-haired girl staring at him wide, innocent, puppy dog blue eyes. This exchange lasted for a couple of moments, Sam looking back and forth between them, unknowing of what was going to happened next. Eventually, Kaosu broke eye contact as he relented, sighing deeply with eyes closed.

"Alright fine…" Kaosu stated reluctantly. "If you want me to teach you so badly, then I will. Just don't expect a grade A experience."

"Thank you Kaosu." Kisara smiled.

"But seriously, why do you want to learn about this game so suddenly?" Kaosu asked.

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out." Kisara smiled, using Kaosu's own words against him; Kaosu just scowled at this, deciding to let it drop for now.

"Wow, never thought I'd see the day you'd be teaching anyone anything." Sam commented.

"Okay, so perhaps we should do this Saturday, with no school to tie us down so I can have time to teach you." Kaosu told her, ignoring Sam's comment. "So I'll come by over your place and…"

"Actually…" Kisara began, catching Kaosu and Sam's attention. "Would it be okay if you taught me at your house?"

There was a moment of silence before Sam broke it. "Wow…I can't believe your actually getting a girl to come to your house so easily and so quickly."

"Shut up, man." Kaosu frowned before turning to Kisara. "Um Kisara…why do you want me to teach you at my house? Why can't we do so at your house?"

"I just…I really don't want to do this at my house." Kisara answered; Kaosu raised an eyebrow. "But what's the problem? Is something with your house, Kaosu?"

"I just don't have people over there." Kaosu informed her. "My home is very private for me, and I don't like having other people over there. I just don't feel comfortable with that."

"I understand." Kisara nodded. "But I don't want to do this out in public, and I don't want to go my home for this, so I don't know where else to go…"

"Maybe my house can…" Sam began.

"Dude, she knows you less than she knows me, and she doesn't seem that comfortable around you yet." Kaosu informed him. "So yeah, not the best idea to use your house, no offense." Sam scoffed and turned his head away.

"I really want to learn this game, Kaosu, but if you don't want to do this at your house, then I guess its okay…" Kisara said with a frown.

"Ugh, I can't take this at all…" Kaosu muttered; Kisara looked up at him. "I can't believe I'm going to say this but…Alright fine, we'll do this at my house."

"Really?" Kisara beamed. "Thank you so much! I appreciate this!"

"Wow…only a few hours after meeting her and you're already whipped." Sam snickered in his ear.

Kaosu jabbed him in the arm. "Shut up!" He whispered angrily; he turned to Kisara. "Alright Kisara, if you really want me to teach you this game at my house…" He pulled out a piece of paper, a pen, and began writing on the paper before handing it over. "Here is my address. Come here at 3 o'clock sharp so we can get this started. I'll do my best to help you out, but no guarantees this will be the best learning experience for you."

"I'm sure I'll manage." Kisara smiled. "Once again, thank you."

Kaosu nodded. "I have to get going. I'll see both of you later."

"Take care of yourself, Kaosu." Sam said.

Kaosu just gave him a wave as he turned around walked off the school grounds and down the sidewalk, his school bag flung over his shoulder as usual. And as he walked down the sidewalk, one thought manage to go through his head about this whole experience.

"_Well, this has been the most interesting school day of my life. Now the matter of telling my mom about Saturday…"_

* * *

><p>Pegasus sat in the seat of his office desk in the top room of his headquarters, a smile on his face as held a book in his hand, "Funny Bunny" printed across its cover, reading it very intently. He leaned in closer as the book came to a certain point before laughing out loud at a certain event in the story.<p>

"Oh Funny Bunny, your wit and humor never fails to entertain me." Pegasus commented joyously. "I could read about you for hours, and I would never get bored. Oh how I love you so."

Croquet suddenly entered the room. "Mr. Pegasus sir." He bowed.

"What is it, Croquet?" Pegasus asked, slightly irritated at being interrupted. "I'm finding it very irritating with you constantly interrupting my own personal time. You know I don't like to be disturbed when reading 'Funny Bunny.'"

"I am well aware of that, sir." Croquet replied; he held up some files. "But I have gathered about the information concerning Kaosu Cross, and considering you requested such a thing, I thought you would want to look at it as soon as possible."

"Ah, I see." Pegasus stated in sudden understanding; he closed the comic he was reading. "Well then, please hand it over."

Croquet walked over to Pegasus and handed him the files. "I must inform you, that unfortunately, we were unable to determine where he got the Dark Magician Girl card. It's as if though it just appeared in his hands out of thin air."

"Really now?" Pegasus said with curiosity. "How very intriguing."

"However, we were able to get information on nearly everything else you requested Mr. Pegasus." Croquet informed Pegasus flipped opened the files. "Especially his duel history. A 17 year-old high school student, he is seemingly a very skilled and talented duelist from what we've seen of his duel records."

"And I can see why." Pegasus commented as he looked through the files. "He has some very rare cards at his disposal that I didn't think anyone else would have. He even has a Dark Magician, and oh, it's one of the alternate versions I created for it! How on earth did he get his hands on that? I created so few of that version." His eyes landed on the picture of a certain card. "And is _that _his trump card? My, my, my this boy is very intriguing indeed."

"Yes sir, but there is an interesting fact we have come across." Croquet stated. "As we checked his duel history, he is no doubt a skilled duelist, but up until his duel Jack Golem a few days ago, he had not, under any circumstances, dueled for an entire year."

"Really?" Pegasus looked up, genuinely surprised. "A duelist like him not dueling for a year?"

"Yes, it is truly strange." Croquet stated with a nod. "Before this happened, he was quite a known duelist around the city, having dueled all around and against just about everyone in the city. But then, out of nowhere, he ceased dueling, and did not go anywhere near it for a year. We wondered why someone like him would just abandon the game like that? But then I found his trump card to be familiar, and on a hunch, I cross-referenced the card with other duelists. And it was through that that I found a connection to another duelist, one we know of."

Pegasus remained silent as he flipped through a page, and his eyes widened at what he saw before smirking. "Ah, now I see what you mean. How very intriguing. His use of this certain card starts around the same time Kaosu stops dueling. And what makes it even more intriguing is that he is one of our very own competitors for the American Championship. My, my, my, what a small world it is."

"What shall be your course of action in light of this information?" Croquet asked.

"Well, now that I know what I want, I think it's about time to send Kaosu an exclusive invitation." Pegasus smirked. "And it will be one he can't refuse."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well there you go, another chapter done and finished. I have to say, my update rate is faster than it has been for awhile now, but I guess that's because I've gotten a clearer look on hos the beginning of this story than my others. In any case, I hope the duel for this chapter satisfied you, and if any of you wish to help me improve on writing duels, then by all means help me. So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review, because I am dying for reviews, I really am!_

_Kaosu has put the arrogant playboy, Caesar, in his place, but now he has a new challenge in front of him: teaching Kisara how to play Duel Monsters. Why exactly does she want to be taught this game so suddenly? Where did Kaosu get that version of the Dark Magician? And what 'invitation' is Pegasus talking about? Find out in Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness._


	7. Lessons and Invitations

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

Lessons and Invitations

"_How in the hell did I find myself in this situation?"_

Kaosu was currently in his room, the lights dimmed on as he laid down across his bed with his right arm folded behind his head, twirling a Duel Monsters card between the index and middle fingers of his left hand. His right leg was placed across the knee of his left leg, tipping up and down over and over in a rhythmic fashion as he stared up at the red-colored ceiling with a calm and indifferent look. But despite him seeming so calm, his mind was absolutely flooded with thoughts as he try to come to grips with what was going on.

_"It's Saturday, and it's nearly 3 o'clock." _Kaosu thought. _"Which means I'm about to teach a girl I just met how to play Duel Monsters...in my very own house that I don't let anyone else in no less. How in the hell did this happen again? Oh right, I couldn't resist the dreaded puppy-dog eyes." _He sighed hopelessly. _"A__nd what's make this worse...I haven't told Mom about this...nor even __mention I'm playing Duel Monsters again."_

When Kaosu first decided to return to playing the game of Duel Monsters, he had neglected to tell his mother of that development. He figured that it wouldn't be best to tell her of it when he wasn't sure that he would continue playing or if it was just a one-time thing. But when he decided to play full-time again, he once again failed to tell her once again. He reasoned to himself that he needed to find the right time to tell her, but then he got roped into teaching Kisara to play Duel Monsters in his own house. He knew then he had to tell her what had happened with him, but for the past few days, he has been putting off telling her time and time again, telling himself excuses to do so, until the day had come upon him, and he had not once mentioned it to his mother.

_"Thinking back on it, I think I didn't tell Mom about either thing because I didn't want to deal with the reaction I was sure to get from her." _Kaosu concluded. _"There be the obvious shock, then the bombardment of questions, then the nagging of why I didn't tell her sooner about all this...I really didn't want to deal with all that, but now that this day is here, I realized now that only will I have to deal with all of that, it's now going to be worse and more complicated than it had to be. Man, I can't believing this is all happening to me."_

As he continued to stare up at the ceiling with these thoughts on his mind, he stopped twirling the Duel Monsters card between his fingers. Slowly, he brought the card into his line of sight, holding it above him as he now stared at it. The picture of the Dark Magician Girl on the card just smiled as it always did unsurprisingly, and Kaosu's attention was now fully upon it as his thoughts began to take on a new direction concerning it.

_"And it's all happening to me right after I get this one-of-a-kind card from some crazy old man." _Kaosu thought to himself. _"I mean, in the week after I got this card, I'm playing a card game I swore off for a year, I dueled and defeated a top-ranking duelist of the country for a person I didn't even know of, I suddenly made myself a friend out of nowhere because of it, I meet a strange, unique girl in school who seemingly has no evil in her, dueled that damn arrogant playboy, Caesar, and now I'm waiting to teach that girl to play Duel Monsters, a venture I have no experience in whatsoever. And to top it all off, I am now hearing a female voice in my head during my duels, and what's worse, I'm actually making conversation __with it. I swear, as crazy as it sounds, I'm starting to think this card is the damn reason this is all happening to me."_

He stared at the card in his hand for several seconds before sighing, the arm holding the card dropping back to his side as he sat up into a upright position. He began moving himself until he sat on the edge of the bed, arms placed against his knees as he sat. He gave the card in his hand one last glimpse before closing his eyes and losing himself in his thoughts again.

_"Well, whatever the reason for all this happening, it doesn't matter now." _Kaosu concluded. _"What's done is done, and I can't do anything to change it. No point in dwelling on it anymore than I have to, though it does help me cope with it all. What I should be thinking now is how I should go about this...lesson? Since this is obviously Kisara's first foray into this game, I should just go over the basics with her, no need to go into the complex combos and all until she's ready._ _But should I just explain it to her or demonstrate it?"_ Kaosu groaned and palmed his hand into his face._ "Ugh, I am so not cut out for this..."_

* * *

><p>Lexa Cross straightened out the wrinkles on the sofa very tediously before turning back towards the wooden coffee she recently had placed into the living room, and scooted it over to the left a little more until it was right she wanted it to be. She dusted off her hands against one another before sitting down on the sofa, her work completed for the moment, a sigh escaping from her lips. She could finally have a bit of time to herself, with Kyuii taking a small nap for the moment, but her thoughts wandered over to her son. She looked up towards the second floor, her eyes falling upon the door leading to Kaosu's room, a frown adorning her lips.<p>

_"Kaosu has yet to come out of his room the entire day." _Lexa thought to herself. _"Even though he's always been to himself, this isn't like him. He always manages to come out of his room by this time to spend time with me or Kyuii at least. What could be keeping him in there for so long? I hope he's alright. He's been acting a bit strange all week, maybe that has something to do with it."_

As Lexa continued thinking about the strange behavior that her son was exhibiting, she was taken out of those thoughts when she heard the sound of a doorbell ringing throughout the house. Lexa turned towards the door, a bit surprised at the sudden indication of someone there. She stood up, making sure she looked presentable before heading towards the door, wondering who could be here since not many people came to the house. She reached for the doorknob and opened the door, and was surprised at what she found: a white-haired girl around Kaosu's age with blue eyes wearing a long blue skirt that reached to her knees, dark blue boots, and a long-sleeved blue shirt, the end of the sleeves going slightly past her wrists, standing right on her doorstep with a nervous look.

"May I help you, young lady?" Lexa asked the girl.

"Um...is this Cross residence?" the girl asked, her eyes averting from the single mother.

"Yes, it is..." Lexa confirmed with a raised eyebrow suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"Is...is Kaosu home?" The girl asked quietly; Lexa's eyes widened ins surprise.

"Wait, how do you know of my son ?" Lexa inquired. "As far I know, he doesn't socialize with anyone outside the house all that much. Why do you even ask for him? And how did you know where we lived? I doubt Kaosu divulges that type of information to anyone."

"Well...um...you see..." Kisara stammered nervously.

"Kisara!"

Both of the women snapped their heads up at the voice and they looked back into the house to find a surprised Kaosu leaning over the railing of the stairs, looking at the two of them. He quickly ran down the stairs and came up to the doorway, standing beside his mother as he looked at the white-haired girl with the surprised expression still on his face.

"Kisara, you came a bit earlier that I expected." Kaosu told her. "It's 2:35 and I thought you were coming at 3:00."

"Well, I guess sometimes you just happen to come by a bit early, don't you?" Kisara replied. "I didn't want to be late, and I guess in my haste, I got here then I expected."

"Hmmm, I see..." Kaosu nodded.

"Kaosu, you know this girl?" Lexa asked her son, surprised by the exchange.

"Uh yeah...well, you see, she's the new girl at my school, Mom." Kaosu answered, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I kinda met her on her first day there earlier in the week, and we just managed acquainted with each other somehow, I guess. Have to admit, she's better than most girls I meet."

"Really?" Lexa said surprised; she had known Kaosu to not socialize with anybody, let alone girls. "Well...I guess that explains why you know her at least. But that still doesn't explain why she's here on our doorstep, Kaosu."

"Well, you see, ma'am..." Kisara began nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. "The reason I'm here...is because...well...Kaosu is going to...teach me how to play Duel Monsters."

A silence followed Kisara's reveal of her presence there with Lexa looking at the white-haired girl in surprise, Kaosu sighing as palmed his hand in his face, preparing himself for what was to come, and Kisara just looked back at Lexa with a very hesitant and nervous look. Eventually, Lexa herself broke the silence.

"Kisara, I'm afraid you may have made the wrong assumption." Lexa told her. "See, my son doesn't play Duel Monsters anymore. He hasn't played the card game over the year, and doesn't want to be around it, so I don't think he would be able to teach you the game. I'm sorry, honey."

"Actually, Mom..." Kaosu started in a nervous tone; Lexa turned his attention to her son. "I've been meaning to tell you something..." Lexa raised an eyebrow. "You see, I've actually...Well, I've started to...play Duel Mosnters again."

"What?" Lexa exclaimed; Kaosu flinched in response. "You're actually playing Duel Monsters again? I thought you weren't going to play it again! You've been so adamant on that issue! Are you telling the truth?" Kaosu nodded meekly. "When did you start playing again?"

"About a week ago..." Kaosu answered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"A whole week, and it didn't occur to you to tell me about this?" Lexa asked in a scolding tone.

"Mom, it's just a card game..." Kaosu tried to retort.

"Just a card game?" Lexa asked incredulously. "You know that I know that this isn't just a card game to you. This game meant a lot to you back then, you were more outgoing because of it, and you actually smiled when you played it. So yeah, I'm going to react that when you start playing a game that did all that in the past. You should've told me sooner about this. I have a right to know about these things."

"Mom..." Kaosu groaned. "Can we not do this in front of Kisara?"

Lexa turned to the mentioned girl, who was standing uncomfortable in front of them. "Alright, but we're going to have a talk about this later. Understood?" Kaosu nodded, and Lexa turned to Kisara. "So you're here so Kaosu can teach you to play Duel Monsters?"

"Yes, ma'am." Kisara replied politely.

Lexa turned back to her son. "You got roped into this, didn't you?" She asked knowingly; Kaosu nodded. "Figured as much. You never were the teaching type. Well, if this is going to happen, then come on in, Kisara. No need to keep you outside any longer than you should be."

Kisara look up at Lexa a bit surprised before quickly nodding her head and entering the house through the doorway. Lexa lead her through the hallway, Kaosu following close behind as they entered the living room. Lexa stopped in front of the coffee table and turned back towards the two teens.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone so you can get the teaching started." Lexa told the two. "Just make sure not to cause any trouble in the living room."

The two teens nodded in understanding before Lexa walked turned around and made her way towards the kitchen. But as she did so, unknown to either teenager, a small smile grew onto the face of the mother as she closed her eyes.

_"After so long, Kaosu finally has a friend..." _She though happily._ "This game really does help him..."_

And with those thoughts with her, Lexa left for the kitchen, leaving the two teens alone in the living room. Kisara stared down at the carpet as she her nervousness increased, unsure of how this teaching will go or if she will even be able to grasp the mechanics of the game. Suddenly, Kaosu walked towards the coffee table, catchin Kisara's attention. The young duelist reached for the deck box that was strapped to his waist, pulling out the deck it contained and placed it on the center of the coffee table. He then sat down at one end of the coffee table, turning towards Kisara and nodded his head to the other end of the table, a silent gesture to the white-haired girl. Kisara understood and went over to the end of the table opposite of him, sitting down across from him as Kaosu looked her in the eye.

"Now before we start, are you sure you want to try and learn this game?" Kaosu asked. "It's not for everyone, and you may not be able to understand it."

"I'm willing to give it a try." Kisara nodded. "I want to be taught this game, no matter how hard it will be."

"Well then, I guess we should start." Kaosu stated. "Like any other lesson, we should start at the basics. A duel is one-on-one card game between two people with decks of 40 cards. Each person starts out with five cards in their hand and 4000 Life Points each, and they draw a card from their deck each of their turns. First duelist to reduce their opponent's Life Points to 0 wins the duel. Following so far?" Kisara nodded; Kaosu drew a card from the top of his deck and placed it on the table, revealing it to be a Magician's Valkyria. "This is a Monster card, and they are the cards duelists use to mainly battle each other with. Each monster has attack points and defense points, depending on which position they're in, they will use one of those points to battle with. If a Monster is in Attack Mode..." He pointed to the vertical Valkyria card. "...which is indicated by it being vertical, then it will use attacks points to battle. If it's in Defense Mode..." He moved the card to a horizontal position. "...indicated by a horizontal position, then it will use defense points. Understand?"

"I think so..." Kisara nodded.

"Good, so anyways, in duels, these Monsters battle each other and are used to reduce a player's Life Points." Kaosu continued as he switched Valkyria back to vertical position. "When a monster in Attack Mode battles another monster in Attack Mode..." He drew another card from the deck, and placed it opposite of the Valkyria, showing it to be a Blast Magician. "...such as this one, then the monster with the higher attack points will win, and the difference between their attack points will come out of the losing player's Life Points."

"So then..." Kisara began, reading over the cards for a bit. "That card..." She pointed at the Valkyria card, and then at the Blast Magician. "...would beat that card, and you would lose..." KIsara thought for a moment before replying. "...200 Life Points?"

"Now you're catching on." Kaosu smiled. "But one thing you should know is that when two monsters that battle have equal attack points, no damage is taken from either player and both monsters will be destroyed since their strength is equal, so be careful with that. But there's still more." He placed his fingers on Blast Magician and switched it to horizontal position. "See, when a monster in Attack Mode battles a monster in Defense Mode, if it's attack points are higher than it's Defense Points, then the defending monster will be destroyed, but no damage will be taken. However, if the attack points are lower than the defense points, then neither monster is destroyed and the difference of those points will come out of the attacking player's Life Points. If the points are equal, then neither monster is destroyed, and no damage is taken."

"So if that card..." Kisara began, pointing at Valkyria, then at Blast Magician. "...were to attack that card while it's in Defense Mode, then it would lose, and you would take..." She read over the points on the cards. "...100 Life Points?"

"Hmmm, you're a fast learner." Kaosu commented. "Also, if you have no monsters on the field and your opponent does, then your opponent can attack you directly with his monsters, and their attack points come out of your Life Points."

"So in a duel, you use monster cards to battle and reduce your player's Life Points." Kisara stated.

"Yeah, but in Duel Monsters, you don't just use a Monster to win a duel, for it's not enough." Kaosu informed her; he drew a card. "There are other types of cards that duelists use to help out their monsters and defeat their opponent." He showed her the card, which was Lightning Vortex. "This is a Spell Card. Spell Cards are cards that have certain effects that can alter the course of the game and turn it in your favor. Each Spell Card has a certain effect, and each one is different from the next. A Spell Card, like Lightning Vortex, could destroy monsters on your opponents, or a Spell Card could be used to increase the attack points of your own monsters, and sometimes you'll have to pay a cost to play them. Whatever the effect, Spell Cards are cards meant to help you change the duel in your favor and use the effects to your advantage."

"Oh..." Kisara said in realization.

"Spell Cards can be played directly from your hand, or they can be Set on the field." Kaosu continued.

"Set?" Kisara asked.

"It means placing a card facedown." Kaosu explained; he placed the Spell Card facedown. "When you set a card, you can't use it until after your turn is over and if you meet requirements. The advantage of Setting a Spell Card is that opponent and no one else will know what the facedown card is except for you, and it could be used to scare or intimidate your opponent from not attacking." Kisara nodded in realization. "There are several types of Spell Cards, but we'll get to that later. Next up..." He drew another card from the deck. "We have the Trap Cards."

"Trap Cards?" Kisara asked.

"Yeah, they're like Spell Cards in that they are not Monsters and are used to alter the course of the game." Kaosu explained. "However, unlike Spells, you have to Set them facedown on the field before you can use them, and then you have to meet the requirements to use them." He placed the card facedown on the table. "However, Trap Cards can be game-changers in a duel because their effects are meant to stop an opponent dead in their tracks. Take for example, Blast Magician attacks me, but in doing so, I activate my Trap." He flips over his facedown card. "It's Mirror Force, and the Trap reflects his attack back at him and destroys all Attack Positions monsters on his side of the field."

"Oh, so Traps are what the name implies..." Kisara stated. "They're cards that are sprung when an opponent does something and you counter it."

"Yeah, but like I said with Spells, each Trap Card has a different effect, and they don't just destroy monsters, so you have to be sure to play them and use them wisely." Kaosu informed her.

"So...you battle with Monster cards to reduce Life Points, and you use Spells and Traps to help those monsters do so and to hinder your opponent?" Kisara concluded.

"Something close to that, yes." Kaosu nodded. "But this is Duel Monsters, and there are many plays and combos in this game involving these three types of cards, and they aren't as clear and orthodox as what you just said. But you have gotten off to a good start so far, I didn't expect you to pick up these things so quickly."

"Thank you." Kisara smiled. "I'm really glad I've been able to follow all of this."

"Still, we got a lot more things to cover about this game. Are you up for it?" Kaosu asked; Kisara nodded. "OK, then, let's continue."

* * *

><p>Two hours passed by without them knowing, and Kaosu was actually impressed by the amount of progress Kisara had made. He had taught her thing such as Monster effects and how to use them wisely, the different types of Spells and Traps such as Quick-Play, Counter, and Continuous, and how they work, the amount of Monster, Spells, and Traps one could have on the field at a time, and the Deck Out rule, and Kisara was able to understand all of the concepts. She was not an expert on the game of course, but she was beginning to understand the basics and mechanics of the game pretty well.<p>

"...so if you attack with Skilled Dark Magician, I activate Shadow Spell." Kisara stated, flipping over a card. "And with it, I can destroy your monster next turn with Blast Magician."

"Very good." Kaosu commented. "You're getting better and better at this. Granted this is still basics though, and you wouldn't last in a real duel just yet, but you're getting the hang of it faster than I thought you would.

"Thank you so much." Kisara nodded happily. "I didn't think I would catch on so quickly myself."

"Well, since you're catching on so quickly, I think it's time to teach you more aspects of the Monster card." Kaosu informed her, drawing a card from the deck. He looked at it for a moment before placing it on the table, revealing it to be the Dark Magician Girl. "You've learned about attack and defense points, as well as a bit about Monster Effects, but now it's time you learn about Monster Types and Attributes."

"Types and Attributes?" Kisara asked curiously.

"Yeah, you see, there are many varieties and forms of Monsters in Duel Monsters." Kaosu began to explain. "Some are beasts, some are aquatic, and some are humans with unnatural abilities, and Types are a way to break down these monsters into certain groups, and there are many Monster Types. There's Reptiles, Sea Serpent, Aqua, and even Dragon and Spellcaster-Types in the game. Each Monster is of only one Type, and these Types enable the use of several Spell and Trap cards that pertain to that certain Type, as several duelists run decks based around one Type. Like for instance, Dark Magician Girl is a Spellcaster-Type..." He drew a card from his deck and showed it to her. "...and as such, I can play this Spell, Magical Dimension. For if I have Spellcaster-Type on the field, I can sacrifice a monster to summon another Spellcaster-Type from my hand. The use of Monster Types can be influential in several decks."

"Oh so Types are a way to separate Monsters and allow the use of even more Spells and Traps." Kisara said in realization.

"Correct, but of course, there's another aspect of the Monster card that can influence the creation of a deck." Kaosu added. "And that's Attributes. See, each Monster is associated with a certain element, and Types can have a direct influence on that. Aqua and Sea Serpent are associated with Water, Fiends are associated with Dark, and Winged-Beasts are mostly associated with Wind. And these elements of these Monsters are known as Attributes. There are at least six different attributes: Light, Dark, Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire. And like with Types, decks can be based around certain attributes to fit a person's dueling style. So basically, Types and Attributes play a big hand in the construction and use of a deck."

"Oh..." Kisara said in amazement.

"Of course, they're not the only way to build decks, but we'll get to that later." Kaosu told her. "Now then, there's..."

"I want to build a Dragon deck." Kisara said suddenly; Kaosu looked up at her in surprise.

"What?" Kaosu asked with wide eyes.

"My deck, I want it to be based around Dragons." Kisara informed him with a smile.

"That's...quite a sudden decision." Kaosu admitted. "I mean, you just learned about the Dragon-Type and don't know much about them, so I don't know if you should just choose them like that."

"I know, but I want a Dragon deck because...well, I just love dragons." Kisara explained. "Ever since I first found about them as a little girl, I've been fascinated with them. Whenever I see drawing or portrait of a dragon, I can't help but marvel at the dragon. They just seem so...elegant and graceful. So grand and powerful. They just seem like amazing creatures to me, even if they aren't real. That's why I want to play a Dragon deck, even if I don't know much about one yet. I love dragons, so I want to play them in this game.

Kaosu stared at her as he blinked a few times. Suddenly a smirk formed on his face as he closed his eyes. "Have to say Kisara, you're not alone. Based on what you said, you want to play Dragons because you have a connection, and a lot of duelists build decks that reflect themselves in certain ways. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised you chose Dragons so quickly."

"But wait, if what you said is true...then is that the reason why you built your deck like it is?" Kisara asked curiously.

"Maybe I'll tell you why I built my deck another time." Kaosu informed her. "But for now, let's continue with our lesson. Now then, a Magician's Valkyria..."

"Big brother!"

Kaosu barely had any time to react when a small bundle crashed right into him, nearly knocking him out of his seated position. A pair of small arms grasped onto his torso, and he looked down to find Kyuui grabbing onto him tightly as she buried her head into his chest before looking up at him with a wide smile.

"Kyuui, you're awake!" Kaosu stated surprised.

"Yep I am, big brother!" Kyuui said cheerfully; she turned to Kisara, and a confused expression appeared on her face. "Big brother, who is the pretty girl in our house?"

Kaosu chuckled as Kisara lightly blushed at the comment. "That's my new friend, Kisara."

"Yay, big brother has a friend!" Kyuui cheered.

"Heh, yeah I have a friend, Kyuui." Kaosu confirmed as he patted Kyuui on the head affectionately. "Now be nice and greet our guest."

"Hello, pretty lady!" Kyuui waved at Kisara. "My name is Kyuui! And Kaosu is my big brother!"

"Well it's nice to meet you, Kyuui." Kisara smiled. "I'm Kisara." She looked up at Kaosu. "I didn't know you had a little sister."

"No big surprise there, since, you know, just met me." Kaosu commented.

Kisara chuckled at his comment and soon enough Kyuui began to giggle as well with her. He looked between the two laughing girls for a few moments before closing his eyes, and for a moment, allowed a genuine smile to cross his features.

_"I can't believe it..." _Kaosu thought to himself. _"I'm actually having a good time. I forgot what that was like."_

He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when the doorbell rang throughout the house, grabbing the three's attention the living room. Kaosu stared at the door, surprise and confusion evident on his face. Lexa Cross appeared from the kitchen and headed towards the door.

"I'll get it." Lexa announced; she reached the door and opened it. "Hello?"

Imagine the mother's surprise when she saw that no one was at the door. She blinked a few times as she looked left and right out of the doorway, trying to find anyone that might've rang doorbell. A frown soon came on her face, as she realized their household may have been the victim of the prank. Suddenly, her foot touched something on the doorstep, and she looked down, finding a box on that very doorstep. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, she bent down and picked up the box, looking over it with a careful eye when she noticed a label on the top of the box. She took a look at it, reading the words printed on the label, and her eyes suddenly widened at what they read. She immediately walked back into the house, closing the door behind the house. Stepping into the living room, she found Kaosu continuing his lesson to Kisara with Kyuui watching in fascination.

"...and because of their abilities, the first Valkyria will protect the second, while the second will protect the first one, essentially creating a lockdown and keeping the opponent from attack as long as you have these two Valkyrias and Spellcasters on the field." Kaosu taught the white-haired girl.

"Wow, it's amazing that can be pulled off." Kisara commented in intrigue.

"Trust me, there's a lot more to see in this game." Kaosu informed her.

"Kaosu..." Lexa called out; the three occupants of the living room looked at her. "Did you order anything without my permission or knowledge?"

"No, of course not." Kaosu looked at his mother incredulously. "You know me, I don't order anything at all, online or from those stupid catalogs."

"Well, I got a package here at the front door." Lexa told him, holding the box in her hands to him. "And it seems to be addressed to you."

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed; he swiftly took the package from her hand. "Let me take a look at it."

He looked at the label that was taped to the top of the box, and sure enough, it read that it was addressed to Kaosu Cross at the exact address of their house. The young duelist was quite shocked at what he was seeing, but he was quickly pulled out of his shock by Kisara.

"Do you know why you got this package?" She asked.

"No, I have no idea." Kaosu admitted, placing the box on the coffee table next to his cards. "Like I said before, I've never ordered anything, and I've never gotten any packages before from anyone before. So this package is a complete mystery to me."

"Maybe it has goodies in side of it!" Kyuui exclaimed excitedly.

"Perhaps." Kaosu chuckled; he looked down at the box. "Only one way to find out."

Kaosu placed his hands on the lid of the box as Kisara and Lexa watched in curiosity and anxiousness respectively, Kyuui herself watching with a big smile on her face. Eventually, Kaosu opened up the box and everyone looked inside the box and at the contents. Getting a good look, they all blinked at the contents in silence before Lexa spoke up.

"Are those...plane tickets?" Lexa asked in disbelief.

"And there's a Duel Monster card." Kisara pointed out. "And it has the picture of a trophy with the American flag in the background. What does the mean?"

Kaosu stared a the contents of the box for a few more moments before reaching into the box, grabbing a certain object and pulling it out. In his hand he held in a video casette tape, a tape that had no writings, markings, or words on it to indicate what it was. Kaosu looked over the tape, an eyebrow raised at the object at his hand.

"A tape?" Kisara asked confusedly. "Why would there be a tape with all of this?"

"Maybe it explains what this package is about." Lexa concluded.

"Worth checking out." Kaosu stated.

The young duelist stood up from his spot and made his way over to the television. He inserted the video tape into the VHS player under the TV and pressed the play button. As the VHS read the video tape, Kaosu made his way back to the other and sat back down onto the floor. The four occupant looked at the TV, waiting for the video to begin and hopefully explain this situation. An image appeared on the TV of a white-haired man sitting in a chair behind a desk, a smile on his face as he waved.

"Greetings, Kaosu-boy."

Kaosu's eyes completely widened as shock rang out through him, recognition of the man in the video coming to him instantly. Kaosu's mouth hung open as he tried to form words in his mouth, the others noticing his reaction immediately.

"What is it, Kaosu?" Lexa asked worriedly.

"T-That's Maximillion Pegasus!" Kaosu exclaimed. "He's the creator of Duel Monsters!"

"Creator of Duel Monsters?" Lexa said shockingly.

"So...this is the man who created this card game." Kisara asked in surprise, looking at the cards on the table.

"Yeah, he's the mastermind behind the whole game, and it's because of him that it's as big as it is." Kaosu told, eyes still wide. "But why would the creator of the most popular card game in the world send someone like me all this?" He suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute...How does he know my name?"

"I'm sure you are in absolute awe that someone of my splendor and grandeur is sending little old you a message of this sort." Pegasus stated as he closed his eyes. "But you can do that later, because I have something I wish to speak to you about." Kaosu raised an eyebrow. "To get things started, I would like to say I'm very impressed at your victory over Jack Golem."

Kaosu stiffened. "What the...?" He spurted out. "How does he know that?"

"What's he talking about, Kaosu?" Lexa questioned her son.

"When I got back into Duel Monsters, I challenged Jack Golem." Kaosu explained. "He's a top-ranking duelist of the country, and I, well, defeated him. But how does Pegasus know that? He was nowhere near the damn duel!"

"You're probably wondering why I know your victory over Jack." Pegasus smirked. "Well let's see, I'm the president of a multimillion dollar corporation that created the game, so I can obtain information very easily, Jack is one of the best duelists in the country, so word of his defeat is bound to get around, and he's going to be participating in a tournament I'm sponsoring, so I have to keep track of him. Hope that clears everything up." Kaosu frowned. "NOw down to business. Like I said, your victory over Jack Golem impressed me, and I have found out that many things about you...intrigue me."

_"I sersiously don't like how he said that." _Kaosu thought warily. _"How much does he know about me?"_

"And since you have defeated Jack Golem, you have proven yourself to be a very skilled duelist." Pegasus continued in the video. "Which is why I am inviting you to take part in the American Duel Monsters Championship!"

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed; Kisara and Lexa looked on in surprise.

"This tournament will have the best of America all gathering together, and decide who is the best duelist the nation has to offer." Pegasus stated as he threw his hands out. "And you have proven yourself to be among the best, so that is why I am inviting you to participate in the tournament."

_"Flattering...but no way am I going to this tournament." _Kaosu thought as he closed his eyes. _"To__urnaments just aren't my thing, plus there's going to be a lot of attention and unnecessary cheering on me, and I seriously don't need any of that. Looks like Pegasus doesn't know all that much about me."_

"Many duelists will be at this tournament." Pegasus continued. "In fact, there's a chance that some duelists from your past could be there..." Kaosu opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow; Pegasus suddenly narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Duelists from your past that have may have taken something from you long ago..."

Kaosu's body froze completely, eyes wide and mouth hung open, as the words Pegasus spoken echoed in his mind over and over, the implication behind those words weighing down upon the young duelist.

_"No way...there's no way he could know about that..." _Kaosu thought in disbelief. _"But...if he's implying what I think he's implying...then how does he know about that? Even he couldn't have found about that." _Kaosu narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. _"But if he's telling the truth,_ then...he_ will be there."_

"If you wish to participate in the tournament, then you will need the card that came in the package." Pegasus informed them. "Think of it as a pass, for it is your ticket to participation in the tournament. Without it, you will not be allowed to enter. Alongside the card, there are plane tickets for a round trip to California, where the it will be taking place. I have anticipated you having family and friends you want to take with you, so there are enough for several of them to come so you can be happy."

"I'm sure that you'll decide to come to our tournament." Pegasus stated confidently. "It starts in three weeks, so I hope to see you there. I anticipate your arrival, Kaosu Cross. Ta-ta for now."

And with that, the video ended, leaving only silence in the room as everyone slowly digested what had just happened. Kaosu continued to stare at the TV with a million thoughts running through his head, his little sister looking up at him innocently as she sucked her finger. Eventually, Kisara spoke up to Kaosu.

"Kaosu...what did he mean by 'Duelists from the past that may have taken something from you long ago'?" Kisara asked him.

"It...doesn't matter." Kaosu replied. "What matters is if I'm going to this tournament or not."

"Well, Kaosu, I think you should enter this tournament." Lexa told her son. "This could be a great opportunity for you."

"Mom, you know how I feel about these sort of events." Kaosu replied. "I don't like all the attention that would be placed on me, nor do I like myself being mad as something bigger than I actually am, as I likely would be in that tournament."

"It figures you would be the only person I know who wouldn't want to be in a tournament like this." Lexa smiled. "But still, this tournament is an opportunity, one that many people are not likely to get. True, I may not know much about the game, and just found you're playing it again, but I know that you love this game, Kaosu. So this tournament isn't just about attention and cheering, think of it as an opportunity to put your skills to the test against the best players around the country, something you wouldn't normally have the chance to. You do enjoy a challenge, Kaosu, so try to put your dislike of public events aside for at least this."

"Your mother has a point, Kaosu." Kisara added. "This tournament seems like it could be a lot of fun for you by going up against some worthy opponents. I would love to see you duel against the best so I can learn more about how the game is played." Kaosu remained silent as he heard all of this, and Kyuui looked up at Kaosu and smiled.

"I think big brother should go!" Kyuui stated happily. "I want to see big brother duel!"

Kaosu looked down at his sister in surprise, who just continued smiling widely at him. Eventually, he just smiled warmly at his sister and patted her a few times on the head as he always did. He closed his eyes in thoughts as he analyzed the choice that now laid before him and what everyone has said.

_"They all do have a point..." _Kaosu thought to himself. _"But aside from what they said, there's also what Pegasus implied. If he did imply what I think he did,_ _and _he _will show up at the tournament, then...I may finally have the chance to get back what he took from me. I...I was ready to put it all behind me, to move on from what happened in the past and not be afraid anymore. But now there's a chance to finally get back after all this time and get back what's mine in front of me. Is it wrong for me to want this? I should be moving on...but if I beat him and take back what he took...then...maybe I can truly and finally put that incident behind me, without having to have it in the back of mind anymore..."_

Kaosu remained silent as these thoughts ran through his mind, and as he did, everyone looked at him, a bit worried at the expression he wore on his face. Silence ensued as everyone waited for Kaosu's response. When Kaosu did not speak up, Kisara stepped in.

"Kaosu...what are you thinking?" Kisara asked.

Kaosu looked at her for a few seconds before turning his attention to the opened package on the coffee table. He reached his hand into the box, grabbing the invitational card and pulled it out. He looked over the carefully for a few seconds before looking up with a determined expression in his eyes.

"I'm thinking that I've got a tournament to enter."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Finally, I've updated this story. I'm so sorry it's taken me awhile to update this story when I got off to such a fast start, I've been very busy with college and whatnot, and it took up my full attention at times, so it was hard to write this story, but I'm very glad I was able to write this faster I still normally do. As for the chapter, I'm not entirely with how this chapter turned out to be honest. The first half I was really cool with, but the second half, I felt I could've done better. But hey, what's done is done, and I hope you all enjoy this better than I did. I did what I could, and hope you all enjoy it. Remember to review for me._

_Pegasus has given Kaosu an invitation he couldn't refuse, and now Kaosu is determined to enter the American Championship to settle something once and for all. What happened in Kaosu's past? Will Kisara be able to become a great duelist? And just who is this 'he' that Kaosu continues to talk about? Find out in the next chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness.  
><em>


	8. The Deal with Collectors Part 1

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

The Deal with Collectors Part 1

The sun was bright as the start of a new day began in Kage City, and everyone in the city square was enjoying it to the fullest as they all went about their business, talking amongst themselves and taking strolls through the square. And sitting down at a table outside of a casual restaurant, a certain individual sipped the coffee from the cup he was served at a leisurely pace, savoring the taste of it immensely. Finished with his drink, he pulled the coffee cup away from his mouth and took a breath of satisfaction before placing his cup down gracefully on the table. He then looked up at the person opposite of him, a young man in her early twenties, with a very serious expression.

"Are you sure about this?" The individual asked carefully.

"Yeah, I'm one hundred percent sure." The man nodded.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" The individual asked suspiciously. "You could be saying what I want to hear and playing me for your own benefit here, and I have seen that far too many times. If you are even lying about part of this…"

"No way am I lying about this!" The man insisted. "I'm not that smart or cunning to pull something like that off, and besides, you've made an agreeable deal with me. So yeah, I am sure as hell that that kid has that card. Word is spreading pretty fast around here, ask anyone else, and you'll find out the kid does have it."

"Hmmm, I see…" The individual mused, taking another sip from his coffee.

"Okay, I told you what you wanted, so now you gotta keep your end of the bargain." The man reminded him.

"Of course, you have seemingly told the truth, and I will give you what I owe you as promised." The individual nodded to him; he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, handing it to the man across from him. "I hope this will be enough to reward you for your helpful services."

"Nice." The man grinned; he took the bill greedily and eyed it. "I don't come across this kind of money every day, you know. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get myself something very nice."

The young man stood up from his seat and walked away from the table, grinning greedily to himself as he stared at the money in his hand. As he did so, the individual did not spare a glance to the departing man, choosing instead to take yet another sip from his cup of coffee. Savoring the taste of his coffee once more, he placed the cup back down on the table, a thoughtful and calculating look on his face as he ran the new information he just received through his mind.

"Hmmmm…if what he says is true, then I can hardly believe my good fortune." The individual stated to himself, rubbing his chin in thought. "To think that the card I've been searching for all this time resides in this absolute unknown of a town. I can finally take the next step in getting what I need for my collection, but of course, as there always is, there's a snag that is preventing me from this. This boy, this 'Kaosu,' has the card I am looking for, which means that I'm going to have find a way to snag the card away from his clutches." A sly grin grew upon the face of the individual. "And I think I have just the manner of how I can get the card into my possession. Oh yes, once it's done, the boy will have no choice but to hand the card over to me."

The individual chuckled to himself, obviously pleased with himself as he leaned back in his chair. He grabbed the handle of his cup, and calmly sipped the coffee within it, the smile permanently plastered on his face.

* * *

><p>"What?" Sam exclaimed. "You're actually…!"<p>

A hand shot up from its position and placed itself across the mouth of Sam, effectively interrupting him and silencing any further words. Kaosu glared at him from his desk as he made sure his hand stayed over Sam's mouth. All the students around them stared at the group of friends in response, and Kaosu turned his attention, now turning his glare at them.

"What are you looking at?" Kaosu questioned angrily.

The students immediately got the message from those words, turning their heads away from the group of friends. Kisaar couldn't help but giggle at Kaosu's reaction to the stares, and the boy in question glared at Kisara for her reaction, and the white-haired girl just smiled innocently at him. Kaosu just shook his head before turning his glare back at it's original recipient, Sam, where he still had his hand over his friend's mouth.

"Sam, I told you this because you're my friend, but please...try to keep yourself freakin' quiet!" Kaosu growled. "I don't want anyone else to know about this, so no shouting!"

"Alright, I'm sorry!" Sam whispered as Kaosu pulled his hand away from his mouth. "I just can't believe it! You're actually invited to participate in the American Championship, and you're actually going to go through with it!"

"Yeah, I'm going to go through with this tournament, so what?" Kaosu shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal. Besides, I'm not doing this for some stupid championship title that means nothing. No, I got my own reasons for entering this tournament."

"So...what are they?" Sam asked impatiently.

"Not going to tell you." Kaosu simply replied.

"Ugh, that's just like you to be so tight-lipped." Sam frowned.

"Don't worry, Sam, he wouldn't tell me or his family either." Kisara giggled. "I find it cute he wants to be so secretive."

"Don't call me cute." Kaosu stated seriously; Kisara just smiled innocently. "In any case, no matter the reasons, I'm going to this tournament. And, thanks to Pegasus' 'generosity' I guess I could call it, he's given several extra plane tickets for me to some people with me."

"Woah, you're serious?" Sam looked at him wide-eyed.

"Yep, there's four plane tickets alongside mine, so it seems I can take along four people with me." Kaosu informed stoically. "I'm obviously going to take my family with me, so that leaves just two tickets."

"Oh I am so going with you!" Sam grinned eagerly. "No way am I passing this opportunity up!"

"Aren't you going to need permission from your parents though?" Kaosu raised an eyebrow. "This is going to span a few days, and you're going to be away from here for quite awhile, and during school time no less. It's kind of hard to"

"Not to worry, man, I got it covered." Sam waved him off. "I've been doing good in school lately, and so all I have to do is butter them up a bit, and they'll let me go. So expect to see me come with you."

"Whatever." Kaosu shrugged. "Just make sure to show up for when we leave, or we leave you behind. And with you jumping on board this, that leaves only one ticket left, meaning only one more person can come with us..." His eyes turned towards Kisara. "Kisara, I know we just met a week ago and don't know each other too well yet, but you seem pretty alright from what I've seen so..."

"Of course, I'll come." Kisara replied cheerfully. " I want to be there cheer you on when you participate in the tournament, to give you some support. And besides, maybe I could learn some more about dueling firsthand watching you play against some experienced duelists."

"You sure you're parents won't mind?" Kaosu questioned her.

"Oh...I'm sure they won't even notice I'm gone." Kisara smiled in reply.

Kaosu narrowed his eyes slightly as he frowned, her smile feeling different to him then usual, as if though it was somewhat forced and sad. The young duelist found it strange and unusual coming from Kisara, but said nothing of it, not wanting to intrude on her privacy or make her uncomfrotable when he only knew her for such a small amount of time, so he just turned away from her.

"Well in any case, be sure to show up at my house in three weeks before we leave for the airport." Kaosu informed them with a shrug. "We're going to be on a tight schedule with this whole thing, so if you want to come, show up on time or we'll have to leave without you."

"Hey don't worry, I'll be sure to give you the heads up on if I'll show up, which I will." Sam smirked. "You helped me out big time when you got my card back from Jack, so I want to return the favor any way possible, even if it just to cheer you on."

"And you've done so much for me as well, saving me from Caesar and even teaching me about Duel Monsters, and only after we just met." Kisara added in. "You've been so kind to me, and it's only fair that I be there to support you."

"Well...thanks..." Kaosu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, not used to this sort of emotion from other people at all. "I appreciate that. Well anyways...I finally bought myself a Duel Disk yesterday, seeing as how I'm going to need one for the tournament, and for the next few weeks, I'm going to be preparing myself for the tournament, so I won't have a lot of time on my hands."

"What about me?" Kisara asked innocently. "You still need to teach me more about Duel Monsters and help me build a deck."

"I will do that Kisara, I will make time for that no doubt." Kaosu assured her. "But I can't go into this tournament unprepared. This event will have the best duelists from all across the country, and I need the time I have to go over new strategies and combos. Despite my recent record, I've just returned to this game, and I have no idea what I will be facing here. So I have to use most of the time I have to make sure I'm at my best for the tournament."

"So you can go all the way and win?" Sam asked with a knowing grin.

"So I don't lose when I can't afford to." Kaosu replied cryptically.

Kisara and Sam looked at their friend a bit surprised, wondering what he meant by those words. They were about to ask him when suddenly, the familiar clicking of heels across the floor rang through their ears down the hallway, indicating the coming of their teacher. In an instant, all the students began scrambling around the room to find their seats, hoping to avoid the wrath of their teacher. Kaosu's friend, realizing they would have to ask another time, made their way to their own seats and sat down in them just in time as Ms. Wilson entered the room, giving them but a warning glance before heading over to her desk and beginning the lesson for the day. Kaosu just turned his head toward the window and looked out of it to the sky as thoughts began to run through his head.

_"I have to be at my best, if I'm not, I will lose the once chance to get back what I lost." _Kaosu thought to himself. _"But...why am I getting this chance in the first place? Why has all this happened to me so quickly? I just don't get it. How can my life change so dramatically so quickly? It doesn't make sense. There's only one certainty of this whole thing, and that's this all began when that old man gave me that Dark Magician Girl card. Just who was that old man? What were those things he made me see? What did they mean? How did he get his hands on a Dark Magician Girl card? How in the hell did he disappear so fast? Why did he give me the card? And..and why do I keep hearing a voice in my head during my duels? Who is that voice in my head, and why is she even there? Dammit, I have all these questions, but not one single answer! I hate it! I just want answers! Why is this all happening to me? I'm no one special..."_

* * *

><p>Kaosu made the familiar walk from school along the sidewalk, his school bag flung over his shoulder as usual, passing by rows of buildings as he did so. He was the lone person on the sidewalk, and no cars were in sight on the streets, with Kaosu chalking this up to the street not being busy at all at this time of day. As he walked back home from what could be considered a normal day of school, Kaosu's thoughts continued to be filled with the questions he asked himself earlier this morning. No matter how much he thought about it, he just could not find the answers he was looking for, and it ate away at him as he stared down at the ground as he walked, his face scrunched up in deep thought.<p>

_"Dammit, I'm getting nowhere with these questions!" _Kaosu thought angrily. _"I just can't seem to find any answers to what I'm looking for. Damn it. Ugh, if I'm not going to be getting any answers, then I have to at least focus myself for the tournament. If what Pegasus said is true, then I have to be at my absolute best, I cannot lose, but...dammit, how can I with so many questions in my head? I wish I just could get one answer to any of these answers, and maybe then my mind will be able to clear up a bit."  
><em>

Kaosu sighed in obvious frustration, this whole situation starting to get to him. The young school student decided that he would have to worry about this later and get home as soon as he can. He sped up in his walk, hoping to get back home as soon as possible when suddenly...

"HELP!"

Kaosu stopped in his tracks, taken back by the sudden cry from out of nowhere. Once he realized it was a cry for help, his head began to whip his head around the area, trying to find the source of the voice. Try as he might, he could not locate the source for several second until he suddenly heard it cry out again.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Kaosu turned his head around, finding the voice coming from down the alley between buildings. Despite his apparent indifferent nature, Kaosu was unable to turn away the cry for help, so he ran as fast he could down the alleyway, trying to find the source of the voice. He eventually reached the end of the alley, now finding himself in another alleyways with rows of building on both side of the of the alley. He thoroughly looked all around the alley with his eyes from his position, but he still could not find the voice. Suddenly, another cry rang out through the sky, and Kaosu turned his head down the alley, finding the voice to be coming from a building a little bit down the alleyway. An urge to help overcoming him, Kaosu ran down the alleyway towards the building, and soon enough, he found himself standing in front of a small warehouse-like building, shoddy and run-down as the windows as the windows were bolted and nailed shot with blocks of wood, the structure looking as if it had been abandoned for years. For a moment, a feeling of suspicion and uncertainty ran through Kaosu as he looked at building, but then another cry rang out, and the sense to help overrode those suspicions and he pushed through the nearby door, entering the building. When he entered, the only light in the entire building came from the open doorway, with nothing but darkness covering the rest of the building. Kaosu carefully walked into the building, making sure he stayed withing the light from the doorway.

"Hey, is anyone there?" Kaosu called out. "I heard a cry for help! Are you there? I'm here to help!"

Suddenly, the door behind him closed, shutting out any light in the building, leaving him in pitch-black darkness. Kaosu whipped his head back towards the door in shock, wondering what the hell just happened. When he realized the door behind him was shut, a sense of realization overcame him: this was a trap.

"Aw shit..."

"Hmph, how predictable can you be?"

Kaosu's eyes widened as the sounds of lights being turned on were heard behind him. The school student swiftly turned around, finding the lights from the ceilings shining down upon the center of the area, illuminating it in the sea of darkness. But it was who was in that illuminated area that really caught Kaosu's attention. Standing upon a small, short but wide square metal platform was a tall man in his mid-twenties with short blonde hair and dark green eyes. He wore a black blazer over a grey button-up shirt, and black business pants with black shoes. The final touches were the Duel Disk attached to his right arm, and the black top hat placed on top of his head. Kaosu raised an eyebrow at the appearance of the man as he smirked at him.

"No matter who you are, people will always run at the first cry of help, not ever thinking that it may not be what they seem. Such predictability."

_"Note to self: Never let my caring side override myself until I make sure I'm not walking into a trap." _Kaosu thought.

"Oh, and don't think about escaping." The man informed him. "All the doors are locked, and all exits are blocked off, so you're stuck here with me."

"Okay, just who in the hell are you, and why am I trapped in here with you?" Kaosu asked with narrowed eyes.

"Straight to the point, are we?" The man chuckled; he took off his hat and bowed gracefully. "Well, I guess it's time for introductions. My name is Mason Cullin, and I am a collector."

"A collector?" Kaosu repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, a collector." Mason confirmed as he stood straight. "More specifically, a collector of Duel Monster cards. I have spent the last few years of my life traveling all across the country and the world, collecting the rarest cards the game has to offer, one way or another."

"Gee, how fascinating." Kaosu stated sarcastically.

"Hmph, looks like you have a smart mouth." Mason grinned. "Well let me ask, do you know why I collect Duel Monster cards for as long as I have?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Kaosu asked uninterested.

"Well let me tell you." Mason stated; his eyes glinted evilly. "Money." Kaosu's eyes widened. "Do you know how big Duel Monsters has become? It's become the most popular card game in the world, almost everybody knows what it is. It's hard to find a city where many of its occupants don't play the game. It has televised and promoted events and tournaments centered around the game, and it's even about to become a sport, with a pro league for Duel Monsters set to be a reality in a few years. It's becoming a part of our lives, and Duelists everywhere desire the best and rarest cards the game has so they can become the best, and will do anything, or rather pay any amount, to get those cards. And that is where I saw opportunity."

"If these people would pay so much money for such cards, then maybe, I could collect these very cards, and then sell them to the highest bidder for the highest price." He continued. "And that's what I've done for these past few years. I've gathered and collected the rarest cards I could find, and people had paid so many sums of money for just one of those cards. The rarer, the more powerful, the more famous the card, the more money I've raked in selling them. Some of the cards I looked for were in the hands of others, so I had to...wrestle them away from them. But I did get the cards in the end, and this profession of mine has earned me a good amount of wealth as a result. Now do you understand who I am?"

"Yeah, you're a greedy, selfish bastard whose probably stolen cards from people who treasure them." Kaosu answered with a calm face; Mason slightly frowned. "I hate dealing with people like you, but this still doesn't explain what you want with me."

"Actually, it kind of does." Mason replied, his smile returning. "You see, I've learned about you, Kaosu Cross, quite a bit, and I've also learned that you possess a certain card, a certain that I desire and have been looking for a long time."

"And what card would that be?" Kaosu asked, a bit apprehensive.

"Why, the Dark Magician card, of course." Mason grinned greedily.

Kaosu's eyes widened to the size of saucers as his hand instinctively went to the deck box strapped to his waist, where his Dark Magician was stored along with the rest of his cards. Mason just smirked at his action while Kaosu slowly narrowed his eyes, gripping his deck box tightly in his hand.

"Why do you want my Dark Magician card?" Kaosu inquired dangerously.

"Besides the fact it's one of the rarest and most famous cards in the game?" Mason pointed out. "Well, it's one of three versions of the Dark Magician." Kaosu looked at him in surprise. "Yugi's Dark Magician is known by every Duelist, no doubt, but what many do not know is that it is one three versions created by Pegasus. Only several copies of each version exist, and are near impossible to find. But think about it, a version of the Dark Magician is valuable enough, even multiple copies of one version is valuable, but think about, all three versions of the Dark Magician, brought together for the first time ever. Do you know how much money that would make me? How insanely valuable that collection would be?"

"Never before has such a collection existed, so when I found out about the cards, I made it my goal to bring together all three versions of the Dark Magician together, and then sell it to the highest bidder, for the highest price I can. By doing so, I will make a fortune, and be able to retire a wealthy and rich man. I've spent the last few years searching for the cards, but imagine my surprise when I pass through this small, unknown city, not expecting anything at all, and I find out that one of the three versions of the Dark Magician is here in this city in your possession. I couldn't believe my luck, still can't actually, that one of the cards I'm searching is here in this insignificant city. With that card, I'll be one step closer to my goal. So would you please be so kind as to hand it over to me?"

"Hell no, I am not handing my Dark Magician over to you so you can get rich quick!" Kaosu spat angrily. "Forget that!"

"I figured you would say that, so I propose a way we can settle this." Mason grinned; he held up his Duel Disk-adorned arm. "You and I, in a duel, here and now. If I win, I leave with your Dark Magician card. What do you say?"

"Now why should I put my Dark Magician card on the line in a duel just to satisfy you?" Kaosu narrowed his eyes.

"Well there is the fact that all exits are blocked and you can't leave until you duel me, but I guess I'll be generous here." Mason replied with a shrug. "If you somehow manage to beat me in a duel..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card and showed it to Kaosu. "...then you get my Dark Magician."

Kaosu's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he stared at the card in Mason's hand, which showed the artwork of the card showed a brown-skinned man with white hair and a cocky smirk on his face in red-magician's armor and a staff in his hand. The artwork of the card confirmed what Mason told him: this was a Dark Magician card.

"Where did you get that card?" Kaosu narrowed his eyes.

"Oh this?" Mason replied casually as he looked at the card in his hand. "I actually got this card off a absolute nobody in Japan, who said he took this card from a washed-up magician, stating that the man no longer had a need for it. It was terribly used by that nobody, so I...took it off his hands."

"You mean you stole it?" Kaosu stated bluntly.

"I didn't steal it technically." Mason corrected. "I just beat him in a duel and took it from him as a prize. Isn't that fair?"

"No, I don't think it is." Kaosu replied fiercely. "Especially when you likely forced that guy into a duel for the card like you're doing to me right now."

"Well, it still doesn't change the situation." Mason shrugged. "What I said still stands: you and me in a duel, winner gets the loser's Dark Magician. What do you say?"

_"I don't have much choice right now in the matter." _Kaosu thought. _"If I don't duel him, I'm not getting out of this warehouse any time soon. I could try to run all over the place and look for an exit, but with all this darkness, I would be running blind, so as much as I hate having to put up my Dark Magician card on the line, I've got no choice."_

Kaosu dropped his school bag to the floor, kneeling down beside it and unzipping it. Reaching into it, he pulled out his new Duel Disk and slid it onto his lower left arm, clasping it into place. He gave his Duel Disk a final look-over to make sure everything was good before looking back up to Mason, who was grinning in obvious satisfaction at what he saw. Kaosu narrowed his eyes further as he made his way towards the metal platform, stepping up onto it, and as he did, he pulled out his deck from his deck box strapped to his waist. Likewise, Mason reached into his blazer and pulled out his own deck, slipping his Dark Magician card into it swiftly. Kaosu met him in the middle of the platform, both staring each other dead in the eye.

"I'm glad you saw it my way, Kaosu." Mason grinned more. "Now as it is custom, we will shuffle each others decks if you don't mind."

Kaosu said nothing but stare hard at the man in front of him, silently holding his deck out in front of him. Mason continued to smile as he held out his own deck towards Kaosu, and the two took each others decks from one another. The two steadily shuffled the decks at a constant pace, Kaosu never taking his eyes of of Mason who just continue to smile at him. Eventually, the two handed their decks back to each other and walked towards the opposite ends of the platform, and once they reached their ends they turned back to one another.

"Remember, little Kaosu, this duel will decide who walks away with two Dark Magicians." Mason reminded with a sneak smile as he inserted his deck into the Duel Disk slot.

"Whatever, you just better let me out here once I beat you in this duel." Kaosu replied sharply, inserting in his deck as well.

"Of course, once the duel is over, you are free to go...without your Dark Magician." Mason smirked.

"We'll see about that." Kaosu replied with narrowed eyes; he raised his Duel Disk, with Mason following his example, and both drew five cards.

"Let's Duel!"

**Duel: Kaosu Cross vs Mason Cullin**

**Kaosu's LP: 4000  
><strong>

**Mason's LP: 4000  
><strong>

"I will take the first turn, if you don't mind." Mason announced, drawing a card from his deck. "First, I summon _Mythical Beast Cerberus __(ATK:1400) _in Attack Mode." A ferocious with wild flaming blue fur, gold rings around its limbs, and the likeness of a dolphin around him as armor appeared, roaring at Kaosu. "And next, I'll set two cards facedown to end my turn. It's your move."

"And I'll be sure to make the most of it!" Kaosu replied as he drew his card; he looked over his option before grabbing a card. "I summon _Rapid Fire Magician (ATK:1600)." _A man wearing black clothing with gold linen and a flowing black coat, a black hat, and purple hair appeared, holding two wands with giant yellows orbs embedded in them, several colored orbs hovering around the magician.

"Ah, so you use Spellcasters yourself?" Mason asked with intrigue. "Interesting."

"Yeah, and I'm going to use them to beat you to the ground." Kaosu stated determinedly. "Rapid Fire Magician, attack his Mythical Beast Cerberus!" The magician raised his twin hands forward, gathering energy to attack the wolf, but Mason just smirked at this announcement.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that won't be happening." Mason stated calmly. "I activate my facedown, _Spellbinding Circle._"

"Oh no!" Kaosu exclaimed.

A sudden bright multicolored glowing circle appeared around the waist of the purple-haired magician, a mixture of symbols and seals comprising the circle. The magician looked surprised before he was suddenly restrained, his arms brought down to his waist in a forceful fashion as electricity surged through his body, the circle trapping him completely as his face scrunched up in pain.

"This Trap is a very nasty one, it basically ensnares your monster completely, preventing it from attacking and binds it to its current battle position." Mason explain with a calm smile. "So I'm sorry, my Cerberus will not be dying today."

"Hmph, that's what you think." Kaosu replied indifferently; he grabbed a card from his hand. "I place one card facedown on the field. That ends my turn."

"My turn, so prepare yourself." Mason warned him, drawing his card swiftly. "First off I activate _Spell Power Grasp. _This Spell allows me to place one Spell Counter on a card that can hold Spell Counters, and I choose my Mythical Beast Cerberus. And now I activate Cerberus' special ability, for by activating a Spell Card, it gains yet another Spell Counter!"

Two black orbs suddenly appeared around the wolf, each one with a triangle symbol printed on them, glowing with a golden aura. They surrounded the Cerberus for a few seconds before they were absorbed into the wolf, and it let out a mighty roar as it gained a golden aura, its demeanor becoming more vicious.

"And for every Spell Counter Cerberus has, he gains 500 Attack Points, so two counters equals a 1000 more Attack Points." Mason announced confidently; _Mythical Beast Cerberus (ATK: 1400 + 1000 = 2400). _"Also, I use Spell Power Grasp's second effect, allowing me to add another Spell Power Grasp to my hand." He pulled out his deck and searched through it, pulling out the card he was looking for. "However, I can only use one Spell Power Grasp per turn, so I won't be able to use it this turn. But I'm not done yet. Now I summon _Alchemist of Black Spells (ATK:1200)_!" A scholarly figure with blue skin, his entire body covered in cloths, a face veil cloth over his mouth, his eyes shadowed, a book held right in his hand, and a triangle tattoo on the palms of his hand appeared, calm and unmoving as he waited the command from his master. "And now I activate Alchemist's special ability! Once per turn, I can switch him from Attack Mode to Defense Mode, and by doing so, I can place a Spell Counter on any card that can hold one! And I choose Mythical Beast Cerberus, increasing his Attack Points by another 500."

The alchemist held up his free hand into the air, opening his book and reading from it, and began to chant a slew of words as energy began to build up in his hand. This continued for several seconds until another black orb with the symbol of a triangle on it appeared floating in his hand. He then tossed it over to the wolf that was beside him before kneeling down, his book held close to his chest _(DEF:1800)._ The Cerberus jumped up into the air and then swallowed the glowing orb, and the aura that surrounded the Mythical Beast Cerberus grew larger as he roared _(ATK: 2400 + 500 = 2900)._

"2900 Attack Points!" Kaosu exclaimed shockingly.

"Yes, and now it's the time to put them to use!" Mason grinned. "Mythical Beast Cerberus, attack! Wipe out his Rapid Fire Magician!" The Cerberus pounced towards the bounded magician, ready to claw through him.

"Oh no you don't, I activate my Trap Card, _Threatening Roar!" _Kaosu revealed, showing his Trap. "Thanks to this card, you can't declare an attack this turn, so your attack never happens!"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't allow that." Mason grinned. "Activate Trap Card, _Trap Jammer."_

"What?" Kaosu shouted taken back; his Trap Card shattered before his eyes.

"My Trap Jammer negates your Trap Card during my Battle Phase, and destroys it." Mason explained with a wide grin. "So now my attack can continue! Mythical Beast Cerberus, continue your assault and destroy his magician!"

The Cerberus obeyed its masters and pounced towards the bound magician, tackling him down to the ground. The beast roared in the magician's face before raising it's claws and bringing down on the magician furiously, shattering him to pieces. Kaosu braced himself with one of his arms from the assault, glaring at Mason as the Life Point Counter on his Duel Disk dropped.

**Kaosu's LP: 2700**

"After Cerberus attacks, he will lose all of the Spell Counters he had, returning his points to normal" Mason announced; _Mythical Beast Cerberus (ATK:2900-1500=1400)_. "Now I set two cards facedown, and end my turn. Make your move, but no matter what move you make, it won't be enough to stop me. You Dark Magician will be mine, and I will one step closer."

"Screw you!" Kaosu cursed at the man. "Like hell I'm going to let that happen!"

_"Are you okay?"_

Kaosu nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the sudden voice, but then realized that it was once again the mysterious female voice, allowing himself to relax a bit. _"Yeah...I'm okay, he just caught me off guard with his move. But don't sneak up on me like that, I don't know when you're going to do that! Nearly fell to the ground in shock!"_

_"Sorry." _The voice giggled; Kaosu frowned. _"I'm surprised that you aren't being shocked about my presence as you were before."_

_"I've gotten used to it."_ Kaosu shrugged. _"You aren't going away, and you've helped me out for whatever reason, so I might at as well get used to."_

_"I see." _The voice replied. _"Right now, though, it seems you're facing a very tough opponent."_

_"Yeah, from what I've seen, he's using Spell Counters." _Kaosu told the voice. _"Very dangerous stuff right there. I dabble in it a bit with my deck, but his deck really focuses on them, and when used correctly, they can be dangerous as I just saw. But even so, I refuse to lose to this greedy asshole, I will not let him take my Dark Magician!"_

_"That cards truly means a lot you." _The voice stated knowingly.

_"Yeah, it's one of the last things I have of a person I cared about, and I refuse to let someone take it just so he can rich quick!" _Kaosu clenched his fists.

_"Then show him what you're made of!" _The voice told him; Kaosu could tell there was a smile there. _"I'm with you every step of the way!"_

_"Thank you, whoever you are." _Kaosu nodded.

"Alright now, my turn!" Kaosu announced, drawing his card swiftly. "Prepare yourself. I first summon _Milla the Temporal Magician (ATK:1800)_ in Attack Mode!" In a flash of light, a white-haired female with a white corset-like dress with brown belts around the waist, golden jewelry around her arms,neck, and upper chest, and a intricate golden scepter in her hands appeared, staring stoically out before her. "And I activate her special ability! Once Normal Summoned, she allows me to see any one of my opponent's cards that are Set on the field!"

"What?" Mason exclaimed surprised; the female magician held out her scepter with a green aura, covering Mason's facedown in the same aura. "You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will!" Kaosu replied determinedly. "Milla, show me the card on the right!" The temporal magician pointed her scepter towards the holographic card, lifting it upward so Kaosu can see, who narrowed his eyes. "Dimensional Prison...if I attack, then that card will remove my monster from play."

_"I didn't see this coming at all." _Mason thought worriedly as his Trap returned to the facedown position. _"He knows one of my facedowns, the one I planned on using if he attacked. As such, he won't attack and likely prepare himself for his next turn, as well as when I take my turn. No matter what he does, I will still be prepared for..."_

"Milla, attack!" Kaosu ordered. "Take down his Mythical Beast Cerberus!"

"What?" Mason questioned wide-eyed; the temporal magician held up her scepter, gathering a green energy at the end.

_"This doesn't make sense at all!" _Mason thought confusedly. _"He knows that one of my facedowns will remove his monster from play if he attacks, so why is he attacking? Is he too reckless, or does he just doesn't care? Well, if he wants to end himself, be my guest. I'll activate my Trap, and leave him wide open to finish him...wait, what if he wants me to activate my Trap, and that's why he attacking, to lure me into using it. But if that's his goal, then why? Wait, no! He's trying to confuse me, make me not use my Trap so he can destroy my monster and follow it up a devastating combo! I won't let that happen!"_

"You're a fool, Kaosu!" Mason proclaimed. "I activate _Dimensional Prison!" _The moment the female magician dashed forward, a giant dimensional portal appeared in front of her, ready to swallow her. "Prepare to see your monster removed from play."

Suddenly Kaosu grinned. "That's what exactly what I was hoping for."

"What?" Mason's eyes went wide.

"When I saw what your Trap was, I knew I had to attack then and there so you could activate your Trap." Kaosu explained. "It was then up to you to take the bait, and you did! And now that you used your Trap, I activate from my hand the Quick-Play Spell, _Magical Dimension!"_

"Crap, not that!" Mason exclaimed.

Just before the temporal magician reached the dimensional gateway where she would be swallowed up, an intricate coffin emerged from the ground in front of the magician and opened up, catching the magician and encasing her within before she entered the gateway.

"If I have a Spellcaster on my side of the field, I can sacrifice one monster in order to summon another Spellcaster from my hand, no matter how high its level is." Kaosu explained with a smirk. "So I choose to sacrifice my Milla the Temporal Magician, and summon from my hand..." Kaosu swiftly grabbed the card from his hand and raised it to the air. "...the _Dark Magician (ATK:2500)!"_

Mason was taken back as his eyes widen even further while the coffin slowly opened, and once it did, the purple-armored, pale-skinned magician emerged from the confines. Back turned to Mason, he turned his attention towards him before twirling his staff in his hand expertly before turning towards Mason, gripping his staff tightly in place as he faced the collector with a determined smirk. He floated down to the ground, hovering just above it in front of his master as he stared down Mason, who looked at the Dark Magician.

"It's...really it..." Mason said awestruck. "The second version of the Dark Magician...After so long of searching...so many years...I've finally found it. It's right before me after so long. And soon...it will be mine."

"Fat chance of that." Kaosu growled angrily. "Now, since I sacrificed the target of your Dimensional Prison before it could be removed from play, your Trap no longer has a target and is negated, and sent straight to the Graveyard." The dimensional gateway vanished from their sight, Mason regaining himself as a result. "Now through Magical Dimension, I destroy one monster, and I choose your Alchemist of Black Spells." The same coffin from before shot up from the ground, encasing the alchemist before exploding in Mason's face, who braced himself.

"But by using a Spell, you've given a Spell Counter to Mythical Beast Cerberus, increasing his Attack Points." Mason reminded Kaosu; the Cerberus absorbed a glowing orb, roaring as it grew stronger. _(ATK: 1400 + 500 = 1900)_

"Like that's even going to matter." Kaosu told him. "Dark Magician, attack his Cerberus! **Dark Magic Attack!**"

The master magician nodded and twirled the staff in his hand before gripping it tightly in place, thrusting it forward and firing a stream of dark magical energy towards the Mythical Beast Cerberus. The stream of energy struck the Cerberus dead in the chest, piercing through it and blowing it up. Mason shielded himself as his own Life Point Counter dropped.

**Mason's LP: 3400**

"Next, I set two cards facedown on the field..." Kaosu followed up, inserting the cards in the Duel Disk. "...and end my turn."

_"Great move, Kaosu!" _The voice complimented. _"You destroyed both of his monsters, dealt him some damage, and made him use his Trap Card and made it useless."_

_"Yeah, it was a good turn overall." _Kaosu nodded. _"But the best part was that I got out my Dark Magician, and I'm sure that it'll lead me to victory."_

_"It would definitely be ironic if the collector lost to the card he's been looking so long_ _for." _The voice pointed out.

_"That's what going to make it more enjoyable." _Kaosu replied casually. _"I can tell that this guy is a greedy asshole who takes rare cards from people who may treasure them without any remorse just so he can make some quick bucks with them. I hate people like him, which is why it will be an honor to take him down with the card he desires. I refuse to let him take what I treasure."_

"I...underestimated you..." Mason spoke, catching Kaosu's attention. "I thought at first that you were some nobody who had no true dueling skills, one who couldn't use a card such as Dark Magician right...but I was wrong. What you just did shows you are different from others I have faced,but even so..." Mason smirked at him evilly. "It will not be enough! Your Dark Magician will be mine!"

"Like hell that will happen!" Kaosu growled. "You aren't taking this card from me no matter what!"

"Hmph, you won't have a choice in the matter." Mason chuckled. "Now let me show you what I can truly do! I draw!" Mason swiftly drew the top card of his deck, and looking at it, he smirk grew wider. "Perfect. I activate _Pot of Greed, _which allows me to draw two more cards from my deck." The collector quickly drew two cards and added them to his hand. "And now I activate another Spell, _Graceful Charity! _This Spell lets me draw three more cards..." He drew yet another three cards from his deck. "...as long as I discard two from my hand." He placed the cards in his hand before grabbing two and placing them into the Graveyard slot. "And now, for a personal favorite of mine! I activate the Field Spell, _Magical Citadel of Endymion!"_

The slot for Field Spells in his Duel Disk opened, and he inserted the card swiftly before closing it up. Immediately, the scenery around them began to change dramatically, and suddenly, a massive tall tower sprouted up from behind Mason, several hundred feet high and towering over both duelists. Kaosu looked shocked but had no time as more of the Field Spell materialized, an artistic town and architectural buildings being created before his eyes around him and the tower, surrounding them in a circular perimeter. And finally, circles made of mystical runes surrounded the entire area and tower in the air. Kaosu's eyes widened as he looked all around him, surprised by what had just happened.

"What the hell is this?" Kaosu exclaimed confusedly.

"This is my Field Spell, boy, Magical Citadel of Endymion." Mason grinned. "It's a nifty Field Spell that works just for me. Now every time I activate a Spell Card, my Magical Citadel will gain a Spell Counter, and whenever I use a card effect that uses up Spell Counters, I can use the Spell Counters on the Magical Citadel for it. Now, let's get things started by activating my second _Spell Power Grasp! _This card, as you know, lets me place a Spell Counter on any card that can have one, and I choose my Magical Citadel, and because I activated a Spell, Citadel gains a Spell Counter due to its effect, so it's two Spell Counters for the price of one card!"

Two orbs with triangle symbols appeared beside Mason, and swiftly, the shot up towards the tower, flying higher and higher until they were absorbed at the top of of the tower. As a result, two of the intricate circles carved into the tower began to brighten up and glow.

"And now, due to Spell Power Grasp's effect, I get another Spell Power Grasp to my hand." Mason followed up, adding the card from his deck to his hand. "Of course, I must wait till next turn to use it."

"Okay, you got a big ass tower with two Spell Counters on it." Kaosu said unimpressed. "How the hell are you going to beat me with that?"

"Like this!" Mason shouted with a grin. "I activate the Trap Card, _Miracle Restoring! _Now by removing two Spell Counters on my side of the field, I can revive from the Graveyard a certain monster."

"What monster is it?" Kaosu asked, a bit worried.

"Why it's the monster I sent to the Graveyard earlier with Graceful Charity for this very purpose." Mason chuckled; the circles on the tower stopped glowing, and the orbs shot out of the tower and into the Trap card. "Now I remove two Spell Counters from Magical Citadel, and I revive the monster that will be your demise! Come forth, _Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)!"  
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The Trap Card popped out a small pedestal with a giant blue orb with a triangle symbol on top of it, and the blue orb began to glow a blue aura. Then, in swift fashion, a blue beam of light shot out of the orb towards the sky. And in that blue beam of light, a figure began to take form in it, and it soon began to dissipate, leaving the figure for all to see. The figure before looked nearly identical to Kaosu's Dark Magician, wearing the same exact armor as well as the exact same staff and hair style, but the colors scheme was drastically different. It's armor was a dark red with golden out lines running all across it, his hair was a complete snow white, and his skin was brown in contrast to the pale skin of Kaosu's magician. His arms were crossed over his chest as his eyes were closed, hovering in the air; suddenly, he opened his eyes, and a dark and cocky smirk appeared on his face as he looked down at his opponents. He gripped his staff tightly and put himself into a fighting stance before hovering down to eye level, staring down his counterpart with the same cocky smirk, who just narrowed his eyes dangerously at his enemies. While all this happened, Kaosu looked at red Dark Magician with wide eyes and a shocked expression.

"That's...your Dark Magician?" Kaosu breathed out.

"Yes, the first Dark Magician I managed to collect." Mason grinned confidently. "And soon, and with it, it will trump yours, and soon it will be in my possession!"

_"This is not good at all..." _Kaosu thought with a frown.

_"I wasn't expecting that at all..." _The voice admitted. _"The complexion of this duel has completely changed."_

_"Even so, I refuse to lose!" _Kaosu adamantly stated. _"Even if he is better at using his Dark Magician than me, I will give it all I've got to defeat him! I will not lose what I treasure!"_

"Prepare yourself, Kaosu, for our real battle of magicians has just begun." Mason grinned.

Kaosu just readied himself, lifting his Duel Disk in anticipation as he stood off against the collector, and their respective magicians readied themselves as they gripped their staffs, staring each down. As this all happened, Kaosu could not help but agree with Mason's words: the real battle had begun.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

><p><em>AN: AN UPDATE FINALLY! I am so sorry that this took longer than any of my other updates before, but I've been more busy as of late, as well as trying to figure how this chapter would go and how the duel for this chapter would go. At the very least, I think it turned out pretty good in my opinion, so I hope that my own month of working on this chapter made it good to you readers. Once again, I am sorry for the long wait, I'm trying to not to take so long with my updates anymore. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please review._

_Roped into a duel where his prized Dark Magician is on the line, the real duel begins as Kaosu's toughest challenge comes in the form of Mason Cullin and his own Dark Magician. Can Kaosu overcome Mason and protect his treasured card from this greedy collector? Who will in the battle of the Dark Magicians? And will Kaosu ever find out who the owner of the voice is? Find out in the next Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness.  
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	9. The Deal with Collectors Part 2

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

The Deal with Collectors Part 2

Kaosu stared right at his opponent with narrowed eyes as he stood defiantly across from his opponent. The collector, Mason Cullin, in turn just continued to grin at the school student opposite with a confident air about him. Their respective Dark Magician's stood in front of their masters, facing one another in an intense standoff; Mason's Dark Magician flashed a cocky and somewhat evil smirk at his opponent, while Kaosu's Dark Magician just stared at its counterpart determinedly. Mason's grin slowly formed into a smirk directed at Kaosu.

**Kaosu's LP: 2700**

**Mason's LP: 3400  
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"Prepare yourself, Kaosu, for our real battle of magicians has just begun." Mason grinned.

"Is that so?" Kaosu questioned. with an unflinching expression "Well then, if that's the case, then I hope you like the taste of defeat at the hands of a card you so desire, because that's what going to happen if the real battle begins."

"Hmph, so predictable of you to think you can actually walk out of this duel the winner." Mason scoffed. "If there's one thing I know how to do aside from collecting, it's how to properly use my Dark Magician to its fullest potential. You couldn't even begin to know how to use your Dark Magician correctly. That is why now that my Dark Magician is on the field, I will win this duel, and it is why your Dark Magician will be better off with me."

"Screw that!" Kaosu cursed, glaring angrily.. "I don't care if you can use your Dark Magician better than I could with mine! I refuse to let you take my card away for your own greedy goals! I will defeat you, you can bet on that! And no amount of boasting or supposed mastery of the Dark Magician is going to change that!"

"Hmph, you just keep deluding yourself, boy!" Mason frowned disapprovingly. "I've defeated tougher duelists than you for more rare cards than you count! What makes you think you can do what they all couldn't? What makes you think you'll be any different?"

"I may not be anywhere close to Yugi or Kaiba's level, true." Kaosu admitted, regaining his composure. "I may not be the best, there are others better than me. But I know for a damn fact that when I bring out my best, I know I can defeat the likes of you!" He pointed sharply at his opponent. "Get ready, because from now on, I'm going all out! And trust me, when I say, you won't be able to handle it!"

"Hmph, overconfident much?" Mason grinned. "No matter how good you are, you will fall to me and your Dark Magician will be mine. That is what will happen. I end my turn with one card facedown." Mason swiftly inserted the card in his Duel Disk. "Now show me those skills you claim will lead to my defeat!"

"Oh trust me, they will! Prepare yourself, because like you said, the real battle begins now!" Kaosu announced, drawing the top card fiercely. "And I think I'll kick off the real battle by activating one of my facedowns! A personal favorite of mine called _Shadow Spell__! _This card works like Spellbinding Circle, binding your Dark Magician into submission, keeping it from attacking! But as an added bonus, it loses 700 Attack Points!"

Kaosu's Dark Magician, who had kept its narrowed eyes on his counterpart the whole time, suddenly smirked and raised its staff up, pointing it towards his enemy. The orb embeded at the tip glowed for a moment, and suddenly, multiple chains shot out from behind him towards its enemy. Mason's Dark Magician's eyes widened as the chains moved towards it, wrapping themselves around the red-armored magician before tightening around it. Mason's Dark Magician gave a grunt as it was constricted by the chains, losing power from the spell. _Dark Magician (ATK: 2500 - 700 = 1800)  
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"And with your magician weakened, it makes him easy pickings for my magician." Kaosu stated fiercely.

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen." Mason grinned again. "I activate my facedown, _Seven Tools of the Bandit!_ Now by paying a cost of 1000 Life Points, I can negate your Shadow Spell and destroy it."

Kaosu's eyes widened in shock as Mason's Dark Magician began to glow a yellow aura for a few moments before its eyes snapped open and broke the chains around it with a burst of dark magic. The chains dissolved as they broke apart, and the red-armored magician just smirked cockily at its counterpart. As all this happened, the Life Point Counter on Mason's Duel Disk dropped down.

**Mason's LP: 2400**

"Dammit..." Kaosu gritted out in frustration.

"Now I know you're wondering why I paid so many Life Points to negate your Trap when I would've taken less damage by letting it go and taking your attack." Mason pointed out, his grin never leaving him. "Well, in the long run, keeping my Dark Magician will greatly benefit me. And since it seems you're done, I'll take my turn." Mason calmly drew his card, and after looking it over, made his move. "I activate my final _Spell Power Grasp, _and with it and Magical Citadel's effect, I add two Spell Counters to my Field Spell." Two orbs appeared again and were absorbed into the tower, lighting up two circles on it. "And now, I set one card facedown and end my turn. Let's see what else you have for me!"

_"He's yet to make one offensive maneuver ever since summoning his Dark Magician." _Kaosu thought to himself. _"He's been playing defensive so far. He's up to something, or waiting for something. Either way, I have to go all out on him."_

"Alright, my turn!" Kaosu announced, drawing his card; he looked at it and narrowed his eyes. "I activate the Spell Card, _Smashing Ground! _With this, the monster with the highest Defense Points on your side of the field is destroyed, and since your Dark Magician is your only monster, it's time for it get to smashed!"

A giant hand appeared just above the red-armored magician, curling up into a giant fist, and made its descent towards the magician, ready to crush it into the ground. However, once again, Mason just grinned at what had happened.

"I'm sorry, but once again, access denied." Mason announced with his never-ending grin. "I activate the Trap, _Anti-Spell!_ By removing two Spell Counters from my side of the field, I negate the activation of your Spell Card and destroy it!"

"What?" Kaosu exclaimed, his face contorting in shock.

The circles on the tall tower suddenly popped out the two Spell Counter orbs, and they made their descent towards the red-armored magician faster than the fist did. Once reaching the magician, they were absorbed into the staff, and with a smirk, the Dark Magician raised its staff up above him, and conjured up a barrier above him. The fist made contact with the barrier, trying to break through, but the barrier did not budge until the fist dissolved, the barrier dissolving as well.

"Of course, the downside is that my Magical Citadel won't be getting a Spell Counter since the activation of the Spell Card was negated, but oh well." Mason shrugged with a grin.

_"Dammit, that's the second time he's countered me." _Kaosu thought angrily. _"He's better than I thought, but he's waiting for something, I know it._ _And I'll be ready for it."_

"Since you're likely done, I'll take my turn now." Mason smirked, drawing his card; once he saw it, his grin grew wider. "Perfect, just what I need to finish you off! I activate _Thousand Knives!"_

The red-armored magician crossed his arms over his chest, and sharp knives suddenly appeared in his hands, each one being held between each of his fingers. As this happened, multiple knives appeared in the air all around the magician, pointing their sharp tips dangerously at the red-armored magician's counterpart as said magician smirked evilly at his foe.

"With this Spell, if there is a Dark Magician on my side of the field, I can destroy any monster I want on the field." Mason grinned wickedly. "And guess what? Your Dark Magician is going to be skewered right now!" The red-armored magician threw the knives in his hands towards his counterpart, the knives in the air following suit and heading straight towards the magician.

"Sorry, but you're not the only with a counter!" Kaosu proclaimed, defiance in his features. "I activate my Trap Card, _Magic Drain!"_

"What?" Mason shouted as he was taken back.

Just before the knives reached the purple-armored magician, the magician raised its staff towards the incoming projectiles. The tip of the staff began to glow before firing out streams of dark magical energy at all of them. The energy enveloped the knives, stopping them in their tracks before they completely disintegrated into pieces. Kaosu's Dark Magician flashed a confident smirk to his counterpart, who just scowled at his foe.

"With Magic Drain, I can negate the activation of a Spell Card and destroy it." Kaosu explained. "You can stop it by discarding a Spell Card, but you have no cards in your hand, so no way you could stop it. I knew you were waiting for something like that, so I kept this card in wait just in case."

"Hmph, I'll give you credit for being perceptive, but just because you stopped one move doesn't mean you will win!" Mason sneered.

"On the contrary, stopping one move may make all the difference!" Kaosu proclaimed strongly. "My turn!" He drew his card and looked over it. "I place one card facedown on the field and end my turn. Your move."

Mason narrowed his eyes and drew his card, glancing at it. "I will also place one card facedown on the field and end my turn."

"Alright, my turn." Kaosu stated, drawing his card; once he looked at it, he smirked. "Yes, just what I needed. I activate _Spellbook Inside the Pot! _With this card, we both draw 3 cards from our decks." Mason looked at him curiously as they both drew the required amount of cards from their decks and placed them into their hands.

"You do realize you may have helped me." Mason informed him, eyebrows raised in question.

"Maybe, but it was damn sure worth it with what I drew!" Kaosu announced with a smirk. "I summon _Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1600) _in Attack Mode!" The green-clothed female magician appeared onto the field, twirling her staff in her hand before readying it in front of her, her long brown hair flowing down behind her as she held onto her magician's hat. "And with that..." He grabbed a card from his hand and revealed it to Mason. "I now activate the Spell Card, _Magicians Unite! _If I have two or more Spellcasters on my side of the field, then the two Spellcasters can unite their powers, allowing one of them to increase their Attack Points and for them to attack as one!"

Mason's eyes widened as a worried look crossed his face at this information. Kaosu's Dark Magician and the Magician's Valkyria nodded towards each other before crossing their magical staffs together, allowing their energies to pool together in a mixture of dark and green magical energy, amassing at the tips of the scepters, allowing their powers to increase far more than they were seperate. _Dark Magician (ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000)_

"3000 Attack Points?" Mason breathed out

"Yeah, and that's more then enough to wipe out your Dark Magician!" Kaosu shouted, a determined expression on his face. "So go, my magicians! Attack with **Dark Scepter Blast!"**

A look of worry and fear flashed across the face of the red-armored magician of Mason as the purple-armored magician and female valkyria gave a battle cry and thrust their scepters forward together. The energy amassed at the tips burst forward towards Mason's Dark Magician, appearing as a stream of swirling dark and green energy, sparks all around it as it headed towards it target.

"No way in hell am I going to let you destroy my Dark Magician!" Mason shouted angrily. "I activate my facedown, _Waboku! _This Trap negates the Battle Damage and my Dark Magician's destruction!"**  
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Just before the magical stream reached the red-armored magician, three blue-cloaked women appeared on the field, standing in front of the red-armored magician. The leading women held her hand out, and when the stream reached it, it split completely in two, passing by the women and the Dark Magician. When the stream faded away, the women disappeared, leaving the red-armored magician completely intact.

"And since Magician's Unite was a Spell Card, activating it has given my Citadel a Spell Counter!" Mason followed up; the giant tower behind him now had a circle on it glowing brightly like before, indicating a Spell Counter was on it.

"Hmph, I place one card facedown on the field and end my turn." Kaosu stated determinedly, inserting the card into the Duel Disk. "It's your move, Mason."

Mason frowned disapprovingly as he drew the card from his deck, but once he saw what it was, his frown morphed into a satisfied grin. "Oh Kaosu, you put up a good fight, but I'm afraid this is the beginning of the end for you now."

"Hmph, I'll see it when I believe it." Kaosu scoffed unconvinced.

"Well, then allow me to show you personally!" Mason exclaimed confidently, grabbing a card from his hand. "I summon _Magician's Exemplar (ATK: 1700)_ in Attack Mode!" Placing the card onto the Duel Disk, a woman with long black hair with garbed in thick, colorful green sorcerer's robes appeared, eyes closed and a peaceful, serene expression on her face. "And now, Dark Magician, attack his Magician's Valkyria with **Dark Magic Attack!"**

The red-armored magician grinned cockily, eagerly agreeing with his master's command as he raised his staff, gathering magical energy at the tip. Staring down at the female magician, who looked back apprehensively but defiantly, Mason's Dark Magician prepared to bring his staff down to obliterate her completely.

"I activate my facedown, _Magician's Circle!" _Kaosu announced, allowing the card to reveal itself; the Dark Magician stopped his attack as the same symbol from the Spellbinding Circle appeared all across the field. "This Trap activates when a Spellcaster declares an attack! Now, we both have to summon a Spellcaster-type monster from our decks with 2000 or less Attack Points in Attack Mode! So check your deck!"

"Very well." Mason replied, his grin never leaving him; he pulled out his deck, and after a bit of looking, took a card from it. "In this case, I'll summon forth _Dark Red Enchanter (ATK: 1700)!" _A pale-skinned man with long blonde hair garbed in red and gold cloths, gold and red armored shoulder pads with red orbs embedded in them appeared on them, and a golden helment, twirling his scepter with a crescent-shape tip on it and a red orb as well before readying it menacingly. "Now what will be your choice?"

"Simple, I summon from my deck a second _Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1600)_!" Kaosu announced; another valkyria magician, identical to the one already on the field, appeared right beside Kaosu's Dark Magician, readying her staff in unison along with her identical twin. "And with that, I use the full potential of my Valkyrias' ability!"

"What do you mean?" Mason questioned curiously; a sudden transparent barrier appeared in front of Kaosu's monster, surprising the collector by it's sudden appearance.

"It's simple, a single Valkyria's ability states that no other Spellcasters but her can be attacked, and with two Valkyrias on my field, the protect each other as well as any other Spellcasters!" Kaosu told his opponent with a fierce stare. "This basically means that you've been locked down from attacking any of my monsters!"

Kaosu expected Mason to be distraught and shocked, but instead the collector of cards just chuckled in the face of information, smirking confidently. "I have to admit, that was a good move that saved your Life Points and monsters. However..." He swiftly pulled a card from his hand and revealed it to his opponent. "It won't matter in the end. I activate the Spell, _Swords of Revealing Light!"_

And just like that, several orbs of lights formed above Kaosu's row of magicians, and in seconds, formed into a multitude of swords of light. And swiftly, without warning, they rained down upon Kaosu's monsters one by one. The swords stopped themselves all around the magicians, surrounding them all as if though they were all trapped in them. The magicians' bodies froze completely, their expressions shocked and struggling as they could not move.

"As of now, your monsters will be unable to attack me for three of your turns, rendering them unable to do anything to me at all." Mason proclaimed smugly.

"That may be so, but you can't attack me also because of my Valkyrias." Kaosu reminded him. "So basically, we're now at a stalemate for three whole turns, unable to do anything."

"On the contrary, thanks to my Swords, my victory is now assured." Mason grinned wickedly. "And it's all thanks to this card, the Spell Card _Magical Blast! _Now for every Spellcaster on my side of the field, you take 200 points of damage!"

"Oh no!" Kaosu eyes widened worriedly, mouth parted in shock

"Now take 600 points of damage!" Mason shouted victoriously.

The red-armored Dark Magician on Mason's field held up its staff high into the air, and soon enough, it began amassing energy at the tip. And it was only its energy, but the energy of the other Spellcaster monsters on Mason's field began to pool at the tip of the Dark Magician's. Eventually, it formed a massive sphere of multi-colored energy, and with a cocky smirk, the red-armored magician thrust its staff forward, firing off the sphere of magical energy in a massive blast that headed towards Kaosu. The magicians on Kaosu's side of the field could only watch as the blast passed them and struck Kaosu head-on. The high school student braced himself as the blast overtook him, struggling to maintain a standing position as his Life Points were taken down by the attack.

**Kaosu's LP: 2100**

"Dammit." Kaosu muttered a curse as the blast subsided. "He managed to bypass my lockdown and inflict Effect Damage to me."

"Why of course I did, and by activating those Spell Cards, not only does my Citadel gain a few more Spell Counters, but so do a few of my monsters." Mason chuckled smugly.

Kaosu's head snapped up, seeing not only two more circles on the Citadel light up indicating the Spell Counters, but also the Magical Examplar having at least four black orbs circling around in a slow, harmonious flow, while the Dark Red Enchanter had two of the same orbs circling its staff, red electricity connecting them together.

"See, now every time a Spell Card is activated, my Magical Examplar will gain 2 Spell Counters for each one, while my Dark Red Enchanter will gain one for each." Mason explained calculatingly. "So my Examplar has 4, while my Enchanter has 2. And with my Dark Red Enchanter, for every Spell Counter on it, it gains 300 Attack Points." _Dark Red Enchanter (ATK: 1700 + 600 = 2300). _"But he won't be having them for long, for I now activate its special ability. By removing two Spell Counters from it, it forces you to discard 1 random card in your hand!"

"Say what?" Kaosu exclaimed with wide eyes; the two orbs were absorbed into the staff, which shot a small red blast at the lone card in Kaosu's hand, covering it in a red glow. _Dark Red Enchanter (ATK: 2300 - 600 = 1700)_

"And since you have only one card in your hand, you have to discard it now." Mason explained smugly.

Kaosu looked at the collector across from him still in shock for several more seconds before looking down at the card in his hand. As he stared at the card, he gritted his teeth, closing his eyes in frustration as he grabbed the card from his hand. In a reluctant and slow fashion, he placed the card into the Graveyard slot of his Duel Disk, letting it go into it. With that done, Kaosu glared angrily at his opponent, who just smirked calmly and smugly in return.

"And with that, I'll end my turn." Mason followed up cockily. "Your move, though it won't make a difference."

Kaosu, still glaring at the collector with angry eyes, drew his card from the top of the deck. He looked at it, hoping the card would help him in this situation. However, upon finding out what it was, he only gritted his teeth in frustration, looking up at Mason who just continued to smirk, causing Kaosu's anger to rise more.

"I set one card facedown, and end my turn." Kaosu announced reluctantly.

"You can't do much more, can you?" Mason chuckled. "I thought as much. Now it's my turn, and I think I'll activate Magical Blast's second effect from my Graceyard! By forgoing my draw for this turn, I can add Magical Blast back to my hand from the Graveyard!"

"What?" Kaosu took a step back in shock; Mason took the Spell Card from his Graveyard and added it back to its hand. "You've got to be kidding me! That means..."

"I can use it to bypass your lockdown again and deal more damage to you!" Mason sneered wickedly. "But first, I activate Magical Examplar's effect! By removing the four Spell Counters on it, I can revive a Spellcaster from my Graveyard with a level equal to the number of Counters removed! So revive, _Mythical Beast Cerberus (ATK: 1400)!" _The royal blue wild-looking wolf shot out from the ground in a blaze of energy, landing on the ground and bearing its fangs at Kaosu once more. "Now I once again activate _Magical Blast! _And now with my Cerberus back on the field, that makes four Spellcasters! So now it's 800 Points of damage to you!"

Once again, the red-armored magician raised its staff up and began to pool the energy of the respective Spellcasters around him, and once it gathered enough, it thrust its staff forward, firing off a larger magical blast than before, striking Kaosu once again. The young duelist grunted as the blast surrounded him, taking away even more of his Life Points.

**Kaosu's LP: 1300**

"And with that, I end my turn." Mason stated. "This is my ultimate combo, Kaosu Cross. By using Swords of Revealing Light, I can keep you at bay for three whole turns, using Magical Blast and its effect to destroy your Life Points each and every turn. And with Magical Exemplar to keep reviving my monsters, the damage will only get stronger with each turn. It's over Kaosu."

"Dammit." Kaosu cursed as he glared at Mason, sweat slowly dripping down his forehead from the predicament; Counters suddenly appeared on the Citadel, Magical Exemplar, Dark Red Enchanter, and Cerberus. _Dark Red Enchanter (ATK: 1700 + 300 = 2000), Mythical Beast Cerberus (ATK: 1400 + 500 = 1900)._

"Maybe you do have a powerful combo, but I'll find a way to beat you!" Kaosu proclaimed strongly, though his worried expression and sweat on his forehead bellied his tone. "I will!"

"Then make your move if you believe you can." Mason challenged with a confident smirk.

Kaosu drew the card as a response, but once he laid his eyes on the card, his eyes widened in shock. _"Dammit, this isn't the card I need right now! Goddammit, this can't be happening! I can't lose here and now, I just can't! I have to win, I have to! There has to be a way! There has to be!...But...how can I stop him and this combo...I mean, he's going to take out another chunk of my points next turn, and...no matter what I draw next turn..."_ Kaosu thought bitterly; Dejection slowly overcame the features of the high school student, a bitter realization overcoming him.

"I place one card facedown, and end my turn." Kaosu announced quietly, his head bowed down.

"Nothing again?" Mason questioned rhetorically. "I figured as much. Oh well. My turn, and I once again add Magical Blast back to my hand! And if you don't mind, I think I'll use it again!"

Once again, as before, the red-armored magician pooled the energy of the surrounding Spellcasters, and fired off a magical blast from its staff, overtaking Kaosu completely in an explosion of magical energy. This time, Kaosu could not stay on his feet as he was blasted down onto his back. Kaosu's Dark Magician could only look on in helplessness and worry as his master laid on his back, Counters placed onto the Citadel and Mason's various monster all the while, as well as Kaosu's Life Points once again decreasing.

**Kaosu's LP: 500**

"Now I'll activate Magical Exemplar's ability again!" Mason followed up. "I remove the four Spell Counters on it to revive from my Graveyard _Alchemist of Black Spells (ATK: 1200)!" _The scholary and mystic alchemist rose from the ground, holding its book tightly against it as he stared at Mason's opposition "And with that, I'll end my turn. It's over Kaosu Cross. No matter what you do, next turn I will add Magical Blast back to my hand and wipe out the rest of your Life Points. You put up a good fight, I'll admit, but in the end, it was not enough. Soon, your Dark Magician will be all mine for the taking. Now take your turn and assure my victory."

As Mason spoke his monologue, Kaosu just continued to lie down on the ground, arms and leg spread out as he stared up at the ceiling with far away eyes. His Dark Magician looked at him with a worried expression, as if begging him to get back up and continue, but Kaosu made no effort to move from his position in the ground, as negative feelings began to fill up the duelist immensely as the inevitability of the situtation crashed down on him.

_"It's over..." _Kaosu thought sadly, closing his eyes in defeat. _"It's over...I've lost, and there's nothing I can do to change it..."_

_"NO! Don't give up, Kaosu!" _The female voice shouted, its presence returning to him.

_"Why? What's the point?" _Kaosu replied dejectedly. _"No matter what I do, he's going to win next turn. No matter what I draw, he's going to destroy the rest of my Life Points. There's no point anymore, I'm going to lose anymore no what."_

_"You can't give up!" _The voice insisted strongly. _"You can still defeat him, I know you can! You just have to keep going. Do you want to lose the Dark Magician you treasure so much?"_

_"No, I don't, I don't want to lose that card at all, especially to this guy!" _Kaosu scrunched his eyes up tight in frustration. _"But dammit, I don't know how I can win this! He's got me trapped and locked down completely! My last two draws didn't give me anything I needed, and next turn, he's going to get back his Spell and win with it! No matter what I do, it still won't be enough! I can't win this, dammit! I just can't!"_

_"Yes, you can, Kaosu...You just need to believe..."_

At that moment, there was the feeling of a new presence above and in front of him, appearing so suddenly the moment those words were spoken. Not only that, but the presence itself was warm, comforting, calming, and for some reason...faintly familiar. Wondering what was going on, he slowly opened his eyes, hoping to find out what was going on. When he did, his jaw dropped, his body froze in place, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers as he laid witness to the presence before him. For floating in front of him was a beautiful young girl with long blonde locks of hair, cute facial features, sparkling ocean blue eyes, and rosy-tinted cheeks. Her wardrobe consisted of an undoubtedly recognizable and revealing pink and blue outfit that showed off her slender arms and legs, and cleavage of her large bust, and a pointy-coned hat atop her head. With her hands behind her back, holding a wand in them, she smiled softly and warmly down at the high school student, who was still in shock at what he was seeing, for he recognized this figure completely.

It was the Dark Magician Girl, and she was before him, looking at him. Speaking to him. Something a hologram would never do.

"W-What the...I-I don't...J-J-Just h-how...You can't be..." Kaosu stammered in shock, trying to form words; the female magician just continued to smile at him. "This can't be...Y-You have to be...J-Just what is...I-I don't believe..."

_"Cat got your tongue?"_ Dark Magician Girl giggled, amused at his reaction.

"Y-You...This has got be a dream..." Kaosu managed to finally say, trying to rationalize. "This has got be a dream...or some weird hallucination...That has to be it...I mean, it's the only way you, the Dark Magician Girl, could actually be in front of me..."

_"Kaosu, silly, you know deep down that isn't the case."_ Dark Magician Girl informed the young student, that warm smile still on her face. _"You know you weren't thrown down nearly enough to knock you into dreamland, and there's nothing in you or around you to cause you to see things. So, as hard it may be to believe, I am Dark Magician Girl...and I am right here before you, real and all."_

Kaosu continued to stutter, both of his rationalizations shattered as he was forced to concede those points. The floating girl before him just continue to smile at him in warming fashion. Eventually, the high school student found his voice and replied to the female magician before him.

"B-but just how...How can you...This can't be..." Kaosu continued to spew out incomplete sentences; Eventually, he managed to form a true sentence. "Just...just how are you able to talk to me? How are you able to even be here before me? How is this possible? And why are you even talking to me? Why are you..."

_"I'll answer those questions soon enough, Kaosu."_ Dark Magician girl replied, her smile slightly faltering. _"But for now, that's not important. Kaosu, you can't give up. Things may seems hopeless now, but there's always hope."_

"How?" Kaosu questioned with a dejected expression, the reality of his current situation momentarily taking over his shock. "I'm trapped, locked down, and one move away from losing what I treasure. How can there still be hopeI don't know if I can win this."

_"Didn't this sort of situation happen as well with Jack?"_ Dark Magician Girl reminded him; Kaosu's eyes widened in shock and realization. _"I mean just like now, you were stuck in an impossible situation, a situation where it seemed you had no hope of winning and were bound to lose. But you pulled through, and you defeated Jack, even when the odds were supposedly against you to do so."_

"That's different." Kaosu tried to retort. "This situation is way worse..."

_"I don't see how it could be different."_ Dark Magician Girl interrupted with a knowing expression. _"Like before, you're stuck in a situation where it seems you have no chance of winning and you're trapped. Like before, you feel you can't win. But Kaosu, no matter the situation, there's always a win. Trust me, I know. There's a saying, "The duel's not over until the last card is played." And if I remember correctly, you still have a draw left."_

Kaosu turned his gaze to his Duel Disk, staring at the deck in it. "But...what if I can't draw what I need." He stated sadly. "I mean, I don't know if there's a card in my deck that can..."

_"Kaosu..." _The female magician interrupted softly; Kaosu turned his attention back to Dark Magician Girl, who gave the warmest smile he had ever seen. _"I believe in you, I truly believe you can win. So please..." _She slowly held her hand out to him, her smile growing even more._ "Believe in yourself, and believe in your deck."_

Kaosu looked at the hand extended to him a bit surprised, unsure of what to do or if it's even real at all. After staring at the hand a bit more, he hesitantly raised a hand up towards her own, reaching out to it slowly. For a moment, his hand stopped just inches away from hers, uncertainty filling his being. But then, deciding to take a chance, he reached out once more to her hand. Imagine his shock and surprise, when he felt his hand touch hers, a look of disbelief cross his features completely. Suddenly, some sort of instinct took over, and he slowly grasped her hand with his, and she in turn grasped his. Smiling joyously, she pulled the young duelist up, and soon Kaosu was once again standing on his own two feet. The duelist stared at Dark Magician Girl with a look of bewilderment, while the female magician just continued to smile at him, causing some faint feeling of nostalgia in him momentarily. Eventually, she moved herself next to him, and grasping his hand once more, moving it above his deck and placed it on the top card, her hand remaining on top of his hand. Staring down at their hands in surprise, he looked towards the female magician, who just smiled warmly at him.

_"Kaosu, have faith in your deck."_ Dark Magician Girl advised him. _"Have complete faith in your cards, for once you do, they will come through and give you what you need to turn this around. If you have faith, then they will help you draw what you need. And don't worry, you are not alone, for I will be by your side the whole time. So go on, Kaosu. Take your draw, and when you do, I know you will get what you need."_

Kaosu just stared at her, his chocolate brown eyes meeting her ocean blue ones, the words she had just spoken to him playing out in his head over and over again like a record. Eventually, he looked down at his deck, his hand still placed over the top card, his head hung low. After a few seconds of silence, his eyes suddenly lit up with fiery determination and gripped the top card tightly.

"You're right, you are absolutely right." Kaosu admitted fiercely. "I do need to believe in myself! I do need to believe in my deck, have faith that it will come through for me in the end! So what if I'm stuck in a such a dire situation right now? I've been stuck in plenty of them before, but my deck has always pulled through me in the end in every single one of them! Even when it seems hopeless, it always gives me the right card I need to turn things around! After all the times in the past it's come through for me, I can't start doubting it! I know now to believe I can draw what I need, I know I can! No more doubting, no more despair, I'm going to win no matter what!"

Dark Magician Girl smiled knowingly. _"Then put it all on the line with this draw, and make it happen."_ Her hand grasped his once again. _"I'm right beside you, every step of the way."_

Kaosu nodded in understanding and looked down at his deck once again. _"This is it. No more wallowing, no more feelings of defeat! It's all or nothing here!" _He closed his eyes in determination. _"Deck, everything is riding on this one draw. And I put my absolute faith in you, no question. No more doubting, no more second guessing. You've come through for me before, and I know you will come through for me now. I have faith in you."_

Unbeknownst to the young duelist, the top card of his deck gained a slight golden glow all around it, but it disappeared just as quickly. Dark Magician Girl just smiled knowingly as she closed his eyes along with Kaosu, her hand still grasping his.

_"All my faith is in you...now's let do this!_"

**"DRAW!' **Kaosu shouted passionately as he drew the card fiercely, his and Dark Magician Girl's hands drawing together in a fluid synchronicity.

_"Go get him, Kaosu." _Dark Magician Girl's voice rang out encouragingly.

Kaosu slowly opened his eyes and when he did, he was faced with the confused and disbelieving look of Mason, as if wondering what the hell was going on. Confused himself, he looked over to this his side to where Dark Magician Girl is, only to find that she was no longer there at all. His eyes widen in shocked as he found no trace of her even being there at all as his hand hung in the air holding his drawn card.

"Okay, I don't know what the hell was going on with you talking to yourself or what all that crap meant..." Mason spoke freaked out. "...but damn, I didn't know you were such a damn weird kid."

_"What the...?" _Kaosu thought in shock. _"He didn't see what I saw?! Was that whole event just some crazy illusion I had?! But it seemed so damn real! What the hell is going on?!"_

"You know what, it doesn't even matter in the end what you were yapping about!" Mason growled. "All that matters is that you're all but defeated now that you've made your final draw! So go through your turn so I can end this once and for all!"

Kaosu's eyes widened once again before narrowing in determination. _"Well, whether it was real or not doesn't matter now! What matters is that I turn this whole duel around and win it! I only hope that I have the card I need."_

Taking a deep breath, Kaosu closed his eyes and slowly brought the card up in front of him so he could view it. He then opened his eyes and looked down at the card in his hand, and once he saw what it was, a gasp escape from his lips, his brown eyes shaking in absolute shock at what he was seeing before his lips curled into a smirk and he began chuckling to himself.

"I can't believe it...you actually pulled through for me." Kaosu continued to chuckle: he then smiled down at the card. "Thanks. I knew my faith was placed into good hands."

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Mason asked impatiently. "Make whatever pointless move you're going to make so I can end this duel."

"Sorry, but I'm afraid that isn't going to happen today." Kaosu smirked confidently. "See, I've drawn the card that is going to help me turn this whole duel around! And here it is! I summon _Card Ejector (DEF: 400) _in Defense Mode!"

Placing the card in a horizontal position, the monster appeared onto the field, although it was hard to truly consider a monster. What appeared was a small green-haired child with hair braids wearing a purple pointy-coned magician's hat that seemed a bit too large for her and a cute little red dress with a red ribbon tied around her waist, holding a small wand in her hand. The little child smiled joyfully as she held her hand up in the V sign, ready for anything. At the sight of little child, Mason snickered, obviously trying to keep back his laughs, until he burst out in a roar of absolute laughter.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh, this is completely and utterly rich!" Mason roared in amusement; the Card Ejector fumed at his laughter. "You go on about changing the tide of the duel, and then you bring out such a pathetic monster! Oh man, I've seen some pathetic things in duels before, but this one takes the cake! It only has 400 freakin' Defense Points! There's no way it can even make a dent in this duel!"

"Hmph, don't judge a book by its cover, Mason." Kaosu smirked mischievously. "My Card Ejector is more powerful than you realize, and your overconfidence is going to cost you because of it. True, it may have very low Attack and Defense Points, but it's special ability certainly makes up for it."

"Special ability?" Mason raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and guess what, I'm activating it right now!" Kaosu announced. "This is where things finally turn around! With Card Ejector's special ability, once per turn I can choose any card from my opponent's Graveyard and remove it from play! And the card I choose is Magical Blast!"

**"WHAT?!" **Mason shouted in absolute shock!

"Card Ejector, eject his Magical Blast out of the game!" Kaosu proclaimed.

With a joyous nod, Card Ejector raised her wand up into the air, and the tip began to glow a very bright red, and with a big smile, she threw her wand forward, firing off a bright red orb at Mason. The orb shot towards the collector it suddenly struck his Duel Disk in a flash of light, and in that instant, the Magical Blast Spell Card shot out from his Graveyard slot and into the air. Mason could only stare in absolute disbelief as his Spell Card floated down to the ground next to him, indication that it was now removed from play completely.

"No way...that's impossible." Mason managed to choke out. "There's no way that this can be happening. My combo was perfect, it was flawless, especially against this fool...There's no way that he should have been able to break it. He's just some stupid kid, this should've been my victory! It should've been guaranteed!"

"Well you thought wrong, because just like that, this duel has completely changed." Kaosu stated strongly; Mason stared at Kaosu vehemently. "There's a saying: "The duel's not over until the last card is played." And it now rings now truer then ever. I put away all feelings of defeat and had absolute faith in my deck, and guess what? It gave me the card I needed and helped me turn the tide of this duel. Now guess what, Mason, this duel isn't over, not by a long shot!" Kaosu pointed to Mason and his Dark Magician, who stiffened, while Kaosu's Dark Magician gripped his staff tightly and readily.

"Now I hope you're prepared because trust me, this is only the beginning of my counter attack! Get ready, because I'm ready to win this duel once and for all!"

_To Be Continued.._.

* * *

><p><em>AN: After months of silent activity, I'm finally back with the highly anticipated update of Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness. For all those waiting so patiently, I'm sorry, it's just I've been lacking in inspiration for awhile for this story as new interests in other fandoms began to take up my time. But I finally got back on track and now I've finally updated after so long! To be honest, this duel was supposed to be a two-parter, but the chapter went on longer than I expected so I extended it to three parts. The finale will be up next chapter so I hope you all enjoy this chapter until then!_

_After a shocking meeting with one of Duel Monster's most famous monsters, Kaosu has regained the fire inside him and turned the duel around in a miracle. Will Kaosu be able to capitalize and defeat Mason once and for all? Will Mason rebound from this setback and take Kaosu's Dark Magician for himself? And how and why was Kaosu able to meet with the Dark Magician Girl? Find out in the next chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness_


	10. The Deal with Collectors Part 3

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

The Deal with Collectors Part 3

Mason could only stare in absolute shock and anger at what had transpired. His ultimate combo that had earned him countless victories time and time again came to a sudden screeching halt at the hands of this…high school kid, and some worthless weak card! To Mason, this shouldn't even be possible, his combo was perfect, but yet, here he was, his Spell Card removed from play and combo broken. All he could do now at this point, was glare at the one who had done this, Kaosu Cross, who just looked back at the collector with a very determined expression on his face.

"Now I hope you're prepared because trust me, this is only the beginning of my counter attack!" Kaosu proclaimed strongly. "Get ready, because I'm ready to win this duel once and for all!"

"Win this duel?!" Mason exclaimed angrily. "What a delusional statement! So you got lucky, so what?! Just because you stopped my combo doesn't guarantee you victory!"

"Maybe so, but things are now in my favor." Kaosu stated with a straight face. "After my turn ends, the Swords will disappear, allowing me to attack again, and without Magical Blast, you can't take out my Life Points. And with no cards in your hand, you are now forced to rely completely on the luck of the draw to get you the card you need to win. Do you think you can do it?!"

"Of course I can!" Mason shouted defiantly. "If a punk like you can pull it off, then so can I! I'll draw the one card that will obliterate you, and win me your Dark Magician card once and for all! And there's nothing you can do about it!"

"We'll see, because personally, I now think you're time is running out." Kaosu stated, crossing his arms. "But for now, with no other cards in my hand or moves to play, I officially end my turn. Which means that three turns have passed and your Swords are no longer in affect."

No sooner did the words leave his mouth that the sword of light slowly began to disappear one-by-one until finally they had all vanished. All of Kaosu's monster stretched their limbs, now free from their bind. Kaosu's Dark Magician flashed a smirk at Mason's, who just scowled in response. Mason himself growled at this event.

"So what if your monsters can attack again?!" Mason shouted with a snarl. "It won't make much of a difference."

"Actually, I think it obviously will, as next turn I'll attack you with everything I got." Kaosu stated with a calm expression.

"There won't be a next turn!" Mason proclaimed, placing his hand on his deck with a vicious smirk. "Because with this next draw, you'll be finished! I'll have exactly what I need to end this once and for all!" Mason was about to draw his next card when...

"Will you?" Kaosu suddenly asked; Mason momentarily froze mid-draw. "Do you truly believe you'll draw exactly what you need to win this duel?...Because I don't think you do."

"What are you blabbing on about?!" Mason shouted angrily. "I know I'm going to get the card I need! If you can do it, so can I!"

"But the reason I drew what I need..." Kaosu said, narrowing his eyes. "Was because I put all my faith in my cards. I believed in them to pull through for me when I needed it the most, and they gave me what I needed. You, however, you don't have the same faith in your cards like I do. I can tell that you have that doubt in you, the doubt that you will not draw what you need to win this duel. I can just tell by how your hand is trembling. The moment I broke your combo, was the moment I won this duel."

"Faith? Believing? AS IF ANY OF THAT CRAP ACTUALLY MATTERS IN A DUEL!" Mason shouted in a furious tone. "What good does faith do in a duel?! What good does believing in your cards do?! They're just paper cards, nothing more! They can't really do anything! Faith in your cards can't change crap! I know I'm going to draw what I need because the odds are in my favor! I have more Life Points than you, I have more monsters than you, and I have more Attack Power than you! Even if you broke my combo, I still have the advantage! Which is why when I draw my card, I will have what I need to win! Because after all, just about any card will win me this duel!"

"You can say that all you want, but that doesn't mean it is true, and you know it." Kaosu retorted calmly; he then shrugged. "But if you think you'll actually draw what you need, then by all means, go ahead and draw. Let's see if you can actually pull it off, though I highly doubt it."

"Ha, I will definitely pull it off! Watch me!" Mason grinned wildly. In a quick, intense motion he drew his card from the deck. "This is it, kid! With this card, my victory is now achieved! Your Dark Magician will finally be mine, and I will finally be one step closer to my ultimate goal! You never stood a chance against me, kid!" He turned the card over and looked at is as he continued speaking. "Your faith and believing got you nowhere, while my skills brought me to ultimate-"

Mason's stopped mid-sentence as he looked at the card, eyes widening in complete shock. Kaosu remained calm and indifferent as Mason looked at the card in his hand, the hand itself trembling as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Mason's mouth slowly opened, leaving it agape as it tried to struggle with what he was now looking it, trying to wrap his mind around it.

_"This...this can't be!" _Mason thought in shock and despair. _"THIS ISN'T WHAT I NEED! This card...this isn't the right situation to even use this card! This card is absolutely useless right now! This...THIS WASN'T WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! I was supposed to draw the winning card, defeat this idiot, and take what I wanted! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"_

"Let me guess: you didn't draw what you need?" Kaosu spoke calmly, placing a hand in his pocket. Mason snapped out of his thoughts, glaring at Kaosu, but it lacked any intensity and was filled with dread. "Judging from your expression, I'd say I'm right. I expected as much, to be honest. So, is that the end of your turn?" Mason just continued to glare at him as his arms fell down to his sides. "I'd take that as a yes, so now it's my turn!" Kaosu quickly drew his card, and after a brief look at it, stared down Mason. "And with it, the end for you! I activate my facedown card, _Reverse Trap!"__  
><em>

"WHAT?! NO WAY!" Mason shouted in shock.

"The way this trap works is real simple." Kaosu explained; the Enchanter and Cerberus suddenly began to look weaker. "Any increases that the monsters on the field have suddenly turn into decreases, and the decreases turn into increases! Basically, your monsters' increase in Attack Points now turn into decreases!" _Dark Red Enchanter (ATK: 2300 - 1200 = 1100) Mythical Beast Cerberus (ATK: 2400 - 2000 = 400)_

"You got to be kidding me!" Mason exclaimed, gritting his teeth in anger. "Why are using a card like that?! That card is worthless! It's one of the least used cards in the game! Nobody freakin' uses it! It shouldn't be able to help you at all!"

"A good duelist makes use of even cards that seem weak." Kaosu stated. "You never saw Reverse Trap coming, which made it even more effective! And with it, this duel is about to be over! Dark Magician, attack his Mythical Beast Cerberus with **Dark Magic Attack!"**

Mason's eyes widened as Kaosu's Dark Magician readied his staff and built up energy at the tip. _"Shit!__ If that attack hits, he'll wipe nearly all of my life points!" _Mason thought as sweat dripped down his forehead. _"I can't let that happen! No way in hell! I'm going to play my facedown!"_

"Oh no, you don't!" Mason proclaimed, throwing his hand forward! "I activate my Trap Card, _Attack Guidance Armor!_ This trap creates a piece of armor that redirects your attack to another of my monster that I choose." Kaosu just narrows his eyes at this. "And the monster I choose to attach this armor to is..." Suddenly, an grey piece of armor with red eyes and a mouth with sharp teeth appeared...on Mason's Dark Magician! "...my very own Dark Magician!"

"WHAT?!" Kaosu proclaimed in shock; Both Dark Magicians looked shocked at what had just happened. "Aare you crazy?! That'll mean your Dark Magician will be destroyed! That's your most powerful monster, your trump card! A card you spent so long collecting! And you're just going to sacrifice it like that?!"

"Of course." Mason chuckled. His Dark Magician looked at him fear and disbelief. "It's just some stupid card. It doesn't really mean anything to me except something to be sold and give me a huge payday! It doesn't have any feelings! And even if it does, it doesn't matter to me! These cards just serve my needs, serve what I want! I am their master, and I can do whatever the hell I want with them! So if I want to sacrifice my Dark Magician, so be it! After all, I'll be just selling it to somebody once I get what I want!"

"You greedy bastard..." Kaosu growled, disgusted by the speech. Kaosu's Dark Magician just narrowed its eyes in anger as well.

"Whatever, like what you think even matters." Mason scoffed. "Because now your Dark Magician's attack will be redirected towards my own! And with their Attack Points the same, looks like both are dead meat!"

Kaosu's magician looked reluctant until the red eyes of the Attack Guidance Armor glowed, which forced Kaosu's magician to forcefully turn towards its counterpart. At that moment, Mason's magician's fear grew even more as his staff was forcefully raised into the air, and Kaosu's was now doing the same. WIth both staffs raised into the air, the two Dark Magicians looked at each other for a moment, understanding suddenly coming between them before they threw their staffs forward, striking each other with Dark Magic Attacks! With their power equal, the magicians continued attacking each other until they shattered into pieces, indicating their destruction. Mason smirked at the sight, while Kaosu clenched his fists tightly, anger rising up in him.

"Well, looks like I really dodged a bullet there." Mason chuckled. "If that attack had struck my Cerberus, it would have set me up for defeat this turn! Heh, and I took down your own Dark Magician in the process! Win-win for me."

Kaosu trembled with anger as he glared at the card collector. "You...you bastard!" He shouted in rage. "You betrayed your cards! You threw away your Dark Magician like it was just some toy that you were done with! You treat cards as if they're just some way to get rich quick! You sicken me! And I refuse to let you win this duel! You may have taken out my Dark Magician, but I still got two attacks left, and they're going to do a hell of a lot of damage! Magician's Valkyria #1, take out his Cerberus with **Mystic Scepter Blast!"**

The Valkyria nodded, a new fire seeming to be brimming from her eyes as she raised her staff before thrusting it forward, a green magical sphere erupting from it and connecting with the Cerberus. The flaming blue wolf roared out in pain before being blown away by the blast! Mason shielded himself with his hand as his Life Point counter went down.

**Mason's LP: 1200**

"Dammit..." Mason cursed.

"And I'm done yet! Valkyria #2, destroy his Dark Red Enchanter as well!" Kaosu exclaimed. "Make sure he realizes why you shouldn't treat your cards like crap!"

The Valkyria spun her staff in an elegant way before grabbing it with both hands and firing off a stream of green magical energy, which completely engulfed the enchanter before shattering it into pieces. Mason narrowed his eyes in anger as he glanced at his Life Point counter, seeing it drop once more before his eyes.

**Mason's LP: 700**

"And now, I set one card facedown, and end my turn." Kaosu stated, placing the card in the Duel Disk and allowing the hologram to show up. "You may have allowed yourself to survive with that despicable move of yours, but the tables have turned and now you and I are just about the same with Life Points! And next turn, I plan on finishing you off! It's over, Mason! Make your move so it can happen!"

_"This is not good..." _Mason thought, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. _"If I don't win this duel, and sell the cards to get the money...then I'll have no money to give to...him..." _A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of this person._ "Time is running out, dammit. I need to win this duel and quick, but I'm in a damn tough spot right now! This next draw better produce something!"_

"Alright then!" Mason said, drawing his card. Once he looked at it, a crazy grin broke out on his face before he began to laugh, confusing Kaosu. "Perfect! Just what I needed to win this duel now! I activate the Spell Card, _Dark Hole!"_

"Oh no!" Kaosu's eyes widened.

"Oh yes..." Mason chuckled darkly. A massive dark hole suddenly materialized above them beginning to suck in everything it could and frightening all the monsters below it. "You obviously know what this little number does! It wipes out every monster currently on the field! So say bye-bye to that little combo you have with those damn Valkyrias!"

"But you'll be destroying your own monsters as well!" Kaosu shouted, anger growing. "Dammit, you don't care a single bit about what happens to their monsters!"

"Like I said before, these cards are meant to serve me and to help me get rich!" Mason laughed with a wild grin. "As long as I win, as long as I get the money, I could care less about what happens to them anyway! And besides, their just stupid holograms! As if they actually matter! Now watch as everything is sucked into the void!"

The Valkyrias looked up at the Dark Hole in apparent fear, while the Card Ejector just covered its face with its hat, trying to hide its fear. Mason's Magical Exemplar and Alchemist of Black Spells looked up at it in fear as well until all five monsters were suddenly lifted off the field. They all flailed around, trying to escape, especially the little Card Ejector that was now crying its tears out. Unfortunately, the Dark Hole sucked them all into its endless void in a swirling motion before it disappeared. Kaosu looked at where it once was with great anger, while Mason chuckled darkly.

"And with that final Spell...I now have six counters on my Citadel..." Mason stated slowly; an orb was once again absorbed into the tower, lighting up a sixth circle. "And with six counters on the Citadel...your end has finally come..."

"What do you mean by that?" Kaosu questioned, glaring at Mason.

"Simple. Remember the card I drew last turn?" Mason asked, holding up the only card in his hand. "I couldn't use this card last turn because summoning it wouldn't have done me any good in my situation, its effect unusable at the time. But now...now is the perfect ideal time to use it! If you thought my Dark Magician was bad, wait until you see this! I remove the six Spell Counters on my Citadel!" Mason threw his hand into the air, and the six orbs popped out of the Citadel and suddenly shot towards the ground and collided with it. "And with it! I summon forth from my hand, _Endymion, the Master Magician (ATK: 2700)!"_

Once Mason announced this and showed his card, a bright flash of light appeared where the orbs collided, slightly blinding Kaosu. The high school student managed to get a look at the light, and saw a figure emerge from it. Once the light died down, Kaosu was left with a figure that shocked him to his core. A giant purple-skinned figure wrapped in royal magician garments with gold linen all across it appeared, several purple orbs attached to its clothes. It had shoulder pauldrons, and wore a long flowing purple cape, and a big white ring with purple orbs embedded into it was attached to him from behind. And in his hand, he held a black and gold scepter with a crescent moon at the tip, a purple and gold orb in the middle of that crescent moon. The Master Magician gazed down at Kaosu, bearing its full power down on the high school student who gulped at the sight of it.

"Ah crap..." Kaosu muttered, worried once more.

"Meet my true trump card, Endymion!" Mason cackled. "He's the most powerful monster I have in my deck, and with his Summoning comes your defeat! Want to know why? Here's the deal! Endymion can be Special Summoned by removing six Spell Counters from the Magical Citadel of Endymion, and once he is summoned this way, one of his effects kicked in! If summoned this way, I am allowed to take one Spell Card from my Graveyard and put it back in my hand!"

"What?! There's no way he can have that ability!" Kaosu exclaimed; the student's eyes widened as a card suddenly slid out of the Graveyard slot in Mason's Duel Disk and he grabbed it, waving it in the air.

"Oh, but he does!" Mason grinned. "But don't worry, I won't be activating it! No, I have in mind a different use for this Spell Card! I now activate Endymion's second Special Ability! Once per turn, by discarding one Spell in my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field!"

"Ah shit!" Kaosu cursed.

Mason continued his grin as he placed the Spell he just took back into the Graveyard. "Now all that matters is choosing which card to destroy..." Mason stated, watching as Endymion began powering up its scepter. "You have two facedowns on your side of the field, and that's all. Which means one of them has to go. One of the two I feel will stop my subsequent attack, so I must choose carefully." Mason placed a hand on chin, closing his eyes thinking about this. Kasou watin ched him warily. "I choose..." Mason snapped his eyes open. "The card on the right! Endymion, wipe it out!"

Endymion followed its master's command as it powered up it's scepter, and fired off a purple wave of magic. The wave made contact with the facedown on the right and it shattered before Kaosu, who shielded himself with his arms in front of his head. Mason chuckled as he closed his eyes once more.

"And with that, my victory is assured." Mason proclaimed cockily. "Endymion, wipe out the rest of his Life Points! **Master Magical Stream!" **Endymion pointed its scepter towards Kaosu, and a few seconds later, suddenly fired off five powerful yet graceful black streams of magic that swirled around each other at Kaosu. And just when they were about to strike...

"Mason...YOU CHOSE WRONG! I activate my facedown, _Negate Attack!" _Kaosu announced. Before the streams could strike Kaosu,they suddenly struck an invisble wall, and stayed that way for a few seconds before vanishing. "Now your attack is cancelled. You chose poorly in destroying my facedown."

Mason growled in anger. The kid was really starting to piss him off. "You have more lives than a cat, I'll give you that!" Masn said begrudgingly. "But now you have no monsters, no facedowns, and no cards in your hand! There's no way you'll draw anything that can match up to my Endymion! So next turn, this duel is mine!"

"I wouldn't count on that. A duel can change with just one draw, I can tell that much." Kaosu stated confidently. He looked down at his deck and placed his hand on it.

_"Deck, you've managed to save me before in this duel, I'm now asking you do the same again. I'm placing my faith in you once more, so please, give me the card I need."_

"Here goes nothing!" Kaosu shouted as he quickly drew his card, wanting to not delay the inevitable. He slowly looked at the card, and his expression turned to surprise. "This card is..." Kaosu's face suddenly hardened. "I activate _Pot of Greed _which lets me draw two cards!" Mason growled at this turn of events, and Kaosu once again prepared to draw. "These next two cards...they're going to decide this duel. I need to destroy Endymion, or I'm done for! No sense in wasting any more time here! It's all or nothing! Let's do this!"

Kaosu drew the two cards that would decide the duel for him, and with a deep breath he slowly brought the card to eye level, and studied them. Kaosu looked stiff for a moment at the sight, until he began to chuckle with closed eyes. "My cards never cease to amaze me, nowadays. I think I know exactly what to do with these. Mason..." He looked the card collector dead in the eye, a smirk on his face. "This duel is over. I've won."

"As if!" Mason replied angrily. "I don't care what two cards you drew! There's no way those two little cards can ever hope to defeat my Endymion! You're delusional!"

"No, you're the delusional one for thinking you could just treat your cards like toys to be sold at a moment's notice!" Kaosu retorted strongly. "And now it's time for you to learn your lesson! I activate..._Monster Reborn!"_

"Shit! What monster is he going to bring back from the grave?!" Mason cursed. "It has to be his Dark Magician! It's the one with the highest attack power after all!"

"Wrong, Mason." Kaosu stated, earning a look of suprise from the collector. "I know a more suitable monster to bring back from the grave to end this duel. This is the monster you forced me to discard from my hand earlier, and it's time to repay the favor. I can't find a more fitting card to beat you to the ground with. After all, you probably didn't even know I had this card in the first place. So come back..._DARK MAGICIAN GIRL (ATK: 2000)!"_

Mason completely froze in complete disbelief at the words just spoken, but once they were spoken, pink energy began forming at the ground in front of Kaosu. Suddenly, the pink energy suddenly formed a circle in the ground, and created a pink circle of magic in the ground. After the Monster Reborn symbol appeared above it for a moment, a figure suddenly emerged from the pink circle and into the air, and that figure was none other than the Dark Magician Girl. The busty magician girl smiled warmly before throwing her wand into the air and caught it before crossing her arms over her chest, staring down Mason, who still stood shocked.

"No...that's impossible." Mason trembled, trying to grasp what he was seeing. "Only Yugi has this card...he's the only one..and yet this kid has somehow summoned forth the Dark Magician Girl! He has one of the rarest cards in the whole game!"

"And with her summoning comes your defeat Mason!" Kaosu proclaimed as he pointed at him.

"Ugh...so what?! Rare or not, she's still weaker than Endymion! She doesn't stand a chance!" Mason shouted, momentarily snapping out of his shock.

"Weak? You may want to look at her again." Kaosu narrowed his eyes.

Mason blinked at Kaosu in confusion before looking up at the Dark Magician Girl, wondering what was different about her. She looked the same as she did on the card...wait, something was different. Mason looked closer, and suddenly saw a figure behind the Dark Magician Girl as she glared down at Mason. Suddenly, the figure turned around...and it was none other Kaosu's Dark Magician!

"What the?!" Mason exclaimed. "Your Dark Magician?! But he's in the Graveyard!"

"Yeah, that's the point." Kaosu smirked. "See, Dark Magician Girl has an ability where for every Dark Magician in the Graveyard, she gains 300 Attack Points to her total. Looks like you didn't do enough research."

"So what?! You only have one Dark Magician in the Graveyard, so it's just a lousy 300 extra points!" Mason shouted angrily. "Still doesn't change anything!"

"Look closer, Mason." Kaosu told him. "You'll find that what I said doesn't apply to just MY Graveyard."

_Mason_ narrowed his eyes at Kaosu before looking back at the Dark Magician Girl, who still had Kaosu's Dark Magician behind her. But wait, Mason could now see a second figure behind her on the right side of her. The figure slowly came into view and materialized and turned around to face Mason..the collector's eyes widened in complete fear and disbelief! It was HIS Dark Magician, and it was glaring down at Mason, disapproval and anger in its eyes.

"N-No, t-that c-c-can't b-be!" Mason stammered. "That's my Dark Magician! But how is that possible?! I mean...WAIT! You don't mean-"

"Yes, Dark Magician's Girl ability applies to BOTH Graveyards!" Kaosu stated icily. "For every Dark Magician in either Graveyard, my Dark Magician Girl increases in strength. They are giving her power, making her stronger so she can defeat you. You should have treated your monsters better, because now they are coming back to get their vengeance on you." A pink aura suddenly surrounded the female magician, making her stronger._ Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2000 + 600 = 2600)_

Mason looked at the scene before him in disbelief until he snapped out of it and glared at Kaosu. "Grrr...you're little female magician may have gotten stronger thanks to those damn Dark Magicians in the graveyard, but she's still weaker than my Endymion! So in the end, it's all for naught! You card is mine, dammit!"

"Hold on, Mason." Kaosu stated fiercely. "I still have one card left in my hand, and this card will put an end to you once and for all. I activate..." Kaosu turned the card over, revealing it to Mason. "..._Riryoku! _This card is immensely powerful, for with it, I can take away half of your monster's attack points!...And add it to my own monster's!"

"WHAT?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Mason shouted in complete disbelief.

Mason could do nothing but watch as Kaosu activated his card, and a bright orb suddenly appeared and shot towards Endymion in a hurry. The Master Magician could do nothing as the orb struck it in the chest, and after a bit of a struggle, went right through it, leaving Endymion in a considerably weaker state. _Endymion, the Master Magician (ATK: 2700 - 1350 = 1350). _The orb then shot towards Dark Magician Girl, and then struck it in the chest as well. But after a bit of a struggle, instead of going through her, Dark Magician Girl absorbed the orb, and suddenly burst forth with a powerful magical aura surrounding her, a fire in her eyes. _Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2600 + 1350 = 3950)_

"With this, my Dark Magician Girl is now much stronger than your Endymion." Kasou stated.

"No, this can't be..." Mason muttered in despair. "This can't be happening. This was supposed to end in my victory. End in me taking your Dark Magician as my own. This...THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!"

"Well too bad, things don't always go as planned!" Kaosu shouted angrily. "This is what happens when you disrespect your own cards like you've done! Dark Magician Girl, end this duel and show this fool what happens when you betray your cards! **Dark Burning Attack!"**

Dark Magician Girl narrowed her eyes intensely as she gather a great amount of pink magical energy at the tip of her wand, the spirits of the two Dark Magicians aiding her. After gathering up magical energy into a giant pink ball, she launched the magical pink ball forward with a great cry at Endymion. The Master Magician did all it could to block it, but it never stood a chance as it was completely engulfed in the ball of magic and cried out in immense pain before being caught in the explosion. Mason tried to shield himself, but could not as he was blown away, crying out in despair and defeat before falling down onto his back, the Life Point Counter dropping down one final time.

**Mason's LP: 0**

**Winner: Kaosu Cross**

All was silent for a few moments as Kaosu stared at the defeated form of Mason before looking at the fading form of Dark Magician Girl. And at that instant, she suddenly turned around and smiled warmly at him before fading away. Kaosu was once again surprised by this occurrence, but decided to worry about it later as he turned his attention back to Mason. He began to walk over to him, as the collector groaned before lifting his head up to see Kaosu.

"How...?" Mason questioned as Kaosu came closer. "How were you able to overcome all I threw at you? How were you able to defeat me like you did?"

Kaosu stood over Mason before wagging his finger at him. "Sorry...but a magician never reveals his secrets."

Mason growled at Kaosu before attempting to stand up, but was stopped when Kaosu slammed his foot down on Mason's chest hard. The collector coughed in sudden pain as he tried to pry the foot off of him, but Kaosu held no remorse for his action. To him, after seeing how Mason acted, thought, and treated his card, he deserved what was happening to him. With his foot still on Mason's chest, Kaosu bent over and took Mason's Duel Disk off his arm, and began looking through it. Mason tried to get up to stop him, but the foot prevented him from doing so. Eventually, Kaosu found the card he was looking for and held it in his hand: Mason's Dark Magician card.

"As per our deal, since I won the duel, I'll be taking your Dark Magician card." Kaosu said coldly. "It deserves to be in the hands of a better owner than you! At least I'll take care of it properly!"

"Bastard..." Mason got out, grunting in pain as Kaosu pressed his foot harder against his chest.

"And since I won our duel, you're going to let me out of this damn place...right now!" Kaosu growled at Mason. "Unlock the doors so I can leave!"

"And what makes you think I'm going to do that for you?" Mason replied sharply, only for Kaosu to press his foot even harder down.

"Because if you don't unlock the doors and let me out of here, then I'll get out of this place another way if I have to!" Kaosu narrowed his eyes. "And if I do get out that way, then I may feel like going over to the authorities and report this little tidbit. You know, about you taking me hostage in this place for your own ridiculous reasons, and how I escaped from you! I won't mind fabricating the truth a little bit if it means putting you in jail! But if you let me go now, and never both me again, then I will forget this ever happened and not mention this to anyone. Are we clear?"

Mason glared at the student above him for a long while before closing his eyes and reluctantly nodding. A small smirk appeared on his face. "Good. Now unlock these damn doors and let me out of here. I rather not keep my mom waiting any longer than she already has."

* * *

><p>Soon enough, Kaosu was once again seen walking down on the path back to his home, school bag flung over his shoulder and a disinterested look on his face. At face value, you would think nothing had happened to him today, but in reality, Kaosu went through a hell of a lot in just one day, more than he ever expected. He opened the deck box strapped to his waist and pulled out a card from it, looking down at it with a thoughtful expression on his face as he continued to walk down the path home.<p>

"This Dark Magician...it was treated so badly under Mason." Kasou said to himself. "And for some reason, I can feel that this card was treated even worse under the owner before Mason. This card has been betrayed so much, but with me, maybe it can now be treated right." Kaosu closed his eyes and sighed. "What a crazy day. Dealing with a crazy card collector out for my Dark Magician, going through one of my most hectic duels, getting a second Dark Magician, and perhaps the craziest of them all, actually having some sort of vision or hallucination or whatever of the Dark Magician Girl. Crazy day indeed."

_"Yeah, seems like craziness seems to follow you around a lot these days."_

Kaosu quickly snapped towards the owner of the voice, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. Floating before him was the transparent figure of the Dark Magician Girl, who was smiling that warm smile of hers at hers. It took a few moments before this registered to Kaosu before he screamed out in surprise, losing his balance in the process and falling down onto his ass. Kaosu felt the notion of pain from his backside, but he couldn't truly register it as he was too busy gaping at the Dark Magician Girl.

"W-What the...Y-You again...T-This can't be..." Kaosu stammered out.

_"Cat got your tongue again, Kaosu?"_ Dark Magician Girl said amused at his reaction. _"You really need to get used to seeing me, otherwise you're going to start embarassing yourself."_

"I-It's you!" Kaosu exclaimed, pointing at her. "It's you! You're talking to me the same way you did before! So that means that...that wasn't just some vision I had before! That...that was really you!"

_"Of course, silly!" _Dark Magician Girl giggled. _"Who else could've it been? After all, I'm pretty sure there was no one else there helping you out of your little depressive state!"_

"A-And t-that voice...that voice that spoke to me during my duels...that was really..." Kaosu managed to get out, piecing the puzzle together.

_"Me! Guilty as charged!" _Dark Magician smiled.

"But...but how?!" Kaosu questioned, still in shock. "How is this even possible?! You shouldn't even be able to be before me! You're not supposed to be real! And what's with the transparent thing?! I...I don't get this at all! What's going on?!"

_"It's simple, Kaosu." _Dark Magician Girl replied. _"I'm a Duel Spirit."_

"Duel...Spirit?" Kaosu spoke out in confusion.

_"Yes, I'm the spirit of the Dark Magician Girl card that you have." _She explained.

"From the card...?" Kaosu asked as he pulled out the Dark Magician Card. He was starting to worry if starting to duel again was starting to mess with his head if he's starting to believe in all of this.

"_Exactly! That card connects to the Duel Monster world which I live in to your world. Call it a bridge between worlds. Normally, duelists can't see a Duel Spirit, but you are an exception to that."_ Dark Magician Girl explained to him in a simple, non-lectured way that anyone could understand.

"...You sure it's not because I'm insane or something?" Kaosu questioned, now a bit worried that he was actually hoping that he might be insane.

Dark Magician Girl giggled at the question. _"No, you're not insane Kaosu."_ She replied with a smile._ "That's because you're connected deeply with the cards you use. The bonds between a duelist and their cards can bestow them the ability to see us Duel Spirits. But those kind of duelists are rare, since everyone else seems to go for the power and style. Never really caring for their cards sadly."_ She told him with a dejected sigh.'

"Yeah, Mason was the prime example of that, and he made me sick to my stomach." Kaosu stated with a frown. He then sighed deeply. "This is all so surreal. Duel Spirits, Duel Monster world, me being able to see you...this all sounds so insane, yet for some reason, I'm starting to believe all of this. I'm still wondering if I'm not hallucinating or something. This is all so hard to take in."

Dark Magician Girl just chuckled, _"Nope, you're not hallucinating Kaosu. This usually takes time for duelists like you who can see Duel Spirits to get used to. But once you've gotten used to seeing a Duel Spirit out and about, anything related to Duel Monsters won't phase you!"_ She said.

"Is that so?" Kaosu replied, slowly standing up. "Well I better get used to it, I guess. So I'm the only who can see or hear you, right?"

_"That's right!"_ Dark Magician Girl replied with a wink and a pose. _"I'm Dark Magician Girl, and I'll be your partner for the rest of our journey together. Nice to meet you!"_ she said with a smile and a small bow.

"Nice to meet you too, I guess." Kaosu scratched the back of his head, a faint blush appearing at her actions. "This is going to take a lot of getting used to, and I still wonder why this is even happening to me. But I guess this is alright. I mean, you've helped me out of some very tight spots before, and you've given me the confidence I needed at those times, so having you around, weird as it may be for me...it doesn't sound too bad."

Dark Magician Girl giggled. _"It's no problem at all. I like helping others whenever I can. Especially with you. And I'm excited for the tournament that's going on! It's been a while since I was used in a duel until I was added to your deck."_ She replied as she flexed her arms and did a few stretches mid-air.

"Really?" Kaosu asked surprised. "I thought Yugi would've been using you, since he's the only other person I know who even has your card aside from me." Kaosu was surprising himself on how nonchalant he was sounding considering the situation.

_"Well..."_ Dark Magician Girl trailed off, scratching her cheek sheepishly, as if embarrassed about something. _"Truth be told, I accidentally escaped from his deck a long time ago and was left wondering around in the winds until an old man found me. By then, I was asleep until he handed me to you, which awoke me from my slumber. But I know Yugi won't mind me hanging out with you, probably saying something mysterious about how he fell like something tells him that I need to be with you or something. He's pretty good at those kind of predictions actually."_ She replied, a bit embarrassed as she laughed nervously.

Kaosu looks at her in shock. "So you're telling me...that I basically hold in my possession the only copy of the Dark Magician Girl card?! The one that belongs to Yugi Muto!" Kaosu slaps a hand to his forehead. "The heads just keep on rolling, I swear..."

_"All in the nutshell, minus the rolling heads."_ Dark Magician Girl replied. _"But still, for you to get your hands on my card, it can't be coincidence. Maybe I was meant to be given to you..."_ she muttered to herself with a hand under her chin as she was thinking.

"Meant to? As if." Kaosu scoffed. "Destiny and fate...they are all just a bunch of crap as far as I'm concerned. I decide my own fate, not some divine force."

_"That's the spirit!"_ she cheered. _"Truth be told, I don't really believe in fate or destiny either. The only thing that's real is karma!"_ she replied.

"Karma, huh?" Kaosu said. "Well, it was nice getting to know you, Dark Magician Girl. It makes this whole situation a bit more easy to get a handle of, even if it's still a bit weird to me."

_"Likewise, oh, and shouldn't you be getting home?"_ Dark Magician Girl realized with a finger under her chin in curiosity.

"Shit! You're right!" Kaosu cursed. "I'm already late as it is thanks to that asshole, Mason! Man, my mom is going to kill me! I gotta back home fast or else!" Kaosu then ran as fast as he could down the path home, a worried expression plastered on his face.

With that, Dark Magician Girl smiled and proceeded to follow him, laughing along the way. Kaosu still did not understand many things going on, like why he was given the Dark Magician Girl card, what the Duel Monsters world is, or why this was all happening to him in the first place, but considering how much the Dark Magician Girl had helped him out, and how nice she seemed...he guessed he didn't mind having her around at all, though it will take a lot of getting used to. However, as Kaosu ran home with Dark Magician following him with her merry laughter, neither knew what was happening to Mason at that very moment.

* * *

><p>Left alone in the abandoned warehouse, Mason laid down on the ground, an angered and frustrated expression as he looked up at the ceiling. He curled his hands into fists and slammed them down onto the ground, giving out a cry of great fury. He slowly got up and stood on his feet, his expression a mixture of frustration and fear pooled into one.<p>

"Dammit. Dammit! DAMMIT!" Mason cursed, throwing his arms out to the side in anger. "This wasn't supposed to happen at all! I was supposed to take that kid's Dark Magician for my own, not lose my own Dark Magician to him! Now I got zero Dark Magicians, and nothing truly valuable to sell right now! My goal has just been stomped, and what's worse is that I'm running out of time! I got to do something quick! I got to find a way to get money quick or buy myself more time or else..."

_"Time's up boy."_ A mysterious voice suddenly rang out from the darkness, Mason's eyes widened with horror as he looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, knowing exactly who it was.

"No, wait please! Give me more time!" He begged. He saw a black robed figure with a scythe emerge from the darkness and tower over him, and got onto his knees before it. "No, please wait! I just need more time to pay!" He replied, cold sweat dripping down his face as a skeleton hand reached out for him.

"The deal was, pay me in time, or you go back in your grave..." The figure replied.

"But I do! Let me just go get it!" Mason replied, hoping to buy little time to make his escape.

"I wanted it on the EXACT time, not one second less." The figure growled as cracks in the ground started opening up, unbeknownst to Mason.

"No, ple-urk!" Whatever Mason was going to say was stopped as many hands grabbed him as one clamped his mouth shut as the figure "tsked" in annoyance.

"Beg all you want, but you sold your soul just to keep your greedy self alive, now burn like the others who have inherited Greed...in Hell!" The figure replied, snapping his fingers as Mason's silent screams for help were unheard as his body was dragged into the ground as it closed up, looking as if nothing happened. After watching this display, the figure black-robed figure turned its head towards the exit that Kaosu had exited through.

"Kaosu Cross..." The figure replied, as if tasting the name, "I have a feeling you will be the most entertaining event during my stay here." The figure mused as it faded away, like he was never there in the first place.

* * *

><p><em>AN: After so many long months, I am finally BACK with another chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness! I guess you're all wondering where the hell I've been, huh? Well I've been preoccupied with college and finding a new university to go to, and there is also the fact I got caught up in my new wrestling fic, though I won't bore you with those details! I finally managed to get around to finishing this chapter and ending what the Mason duel. I very much enjoyed writing this duel, and I can only hope that you all enjoyed it much as I did, and that the end was satisfactory. Hopefully, future chapters will be just as good, so I hope you enjoy this chapter until then!_

_Kaosu has finally defeated the greedy collector Mason, and in turn has gained a shocking companion in the Dark Magician Girl. What will come about from this new partnership between Kaosu and Dark Magician Girl? Why exactly is all this happening to Kaosu of all people and now of all times? And who was this mysterious robed figure that sent Mason to "Hell"? Find out in the next chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness!_


	11. First Defense of Dragons

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness**

First Defense of Dragons

The sky was covered in darkness, the only sources of light from above being the bright stars that littered the view. The night sky gave way to the street lights that illuminated the neighborhood, which contained houses that completely pitch black within, indicating the occupants taking their sleep. However, one house had a room with light still emanating from it, indicating its occupants' conscious state. Within that very room, Kaosu Cross sat at the desk that his bedroom held, indifferent expression on his face as wrappers of boosters laid around the desktop. Duel Monsters cards were placed in certain rows all over it, as he held a few cards in his hands, looking them over.

"Hmmmmm...that card could help her indeed. Yeah, it definitely helps out in a basic, starting deck, I think." Kaosu noted to himself as he placed a card onto a sizeable stack of them, then picked up another card. "Hmm, and let's go with that one as well. This trap is definitely needed for her. Oh...not really liking this card, but for a Dragon Deck, she may need it, so yeah, but wait...this card could do it better...she can't have both of them...hmmm...oh...that card will go better with my deck, better keep that one. Let's see, what else..."

_"Geez, shouldn't you be getting some sleep already, Kaosu? You need it after all." _

Kaosu didn't jump or react to the sudden sound of the voice, instead choosing to turn his head almost boredly to the right. His gaze was met with the sight of the Dark Magician Girl, her figure transparent as she floated beside him, an amused expression on her face. Over the past few days, he had surprisingly gotten acquainted to her presence for some reason. He always felt he should be more freaked out by this, but he wasn't. In fact, it was getting hard to tell his life without her. Still, he was still adjusting to replying to her out loud and not mentally in the presence of other people, lest he look like a complete loon or stupid as she was only visible to him.

"I'll be going to bed soon, Dark Magician Girl. I just need to finish up making this deck for Kisara. I promised I get a starting deck finished for her by tomorrow, and I intend on doing that. Though it's more difficult than I imagine..." Kasou noted with a sigh.

_"Oh, why is that? I thought you were pretty good at Duel Monsters." _DMG noted with surprise.

"I am by some people's standards, but even so, I have to build a specific deck for Kisara. A DRAGON DECK." Kaosu shook his head. "And Dragons aren't really my thing, so it's hard for me to really build a decent deck with something I'm not too familiar or cool with. Plus, there's the challenge of keeping it basic and simple for her. She's just beginning this game, and if I give her something too complicated, she'll never be able to use it right. She needs to start out with a base, and work from there. Though that's easier said than done..."

_"Yet here you are, ready to sacrifice precious sleep in order to do it. Though just judging from the sizeable stack of cards there, you're almost finished." _DMG noted, pointing to the seeming deck that was building up.

"Yeah, took me awhile, but I THINK I got something at the least for Kisara. It's nothing special, but it will get her off on the right track...I hope." Kaosu sighed before picking up a card and looking at it. "...Alright. THIS will be her trump card for now. Lucky enough to come across this in one of the boosters, and it's a Dragon, so it should work for now as her ace." Kaosu then placed the card on the deck and nodded. "Barring any last-minute changes that SHOULD do it."

_"About time. For building a simple STARTER deck, I was beginning to think it would take you forever..." _DMG giggled as she floated behind him.

"I am going to ignore that smart remark from you, DMG." Kaosu replied, slightly annoyed now.

He grabbed the deck of cards and gave a quick double-check to make sure everything was in order, which it was. Kaosu gave a big sigh of relief as he placed the deck down, ready to be handed to Kisara. He then grabbed some cards on the right and looked them over as well, seemingly intrigued with them. DMG, herself intrigued, looked over Kaosu's shoulder and at the cards he was holding, blinking twice.

_"Oh, so you actually got yourself a few new cards for your deck, Kaosu?" _DMG questioned.

"You didn't think I would buy and trade all these cards and not want a few for myself?" Kaosu said, raising an eyebrow.

_"Of course not, but then again, you seemed so focused on the starter deck, I wouldn't put it past you forgetting about them." _DMG grinned warmly.

Kaosu rolled his eyes at DMG before looking at the cards again. "Well the duel with that prick, Mason, opened my eyes. In the end, my cards got me through, but at the same time, it showed me it was slightly out-of-date. My deck hasn't been used in a year or so, and new cards are around, popular as ever. And if I don't update my deck, I'm going to pay the price for it. Mason used a few cards that I could use, so I'm adding them to my deck, as well as a few good cards that I came across while building the deck for Kisara."

_"Yeah, I can understand that. Times are always changing, the card game through which we Duel Monsters connect to this world through is always moving, always adding more to it. Without constant adaptation, you're going to get left behind by everybody, and we can't have that. Though I also can tell this is for the tournament...the one in a few weeks that Pegasus invited you too." _DMG said with a calm look, staring as Kaosu as she did who stared back.

"...That tourney's going to have the best of the best in America showing up, and I can't afford for my deck to not be able to match up to them." Kaosu stated softly, searching through the cards. "I can't lose, DMG...at least not until I do a certain thing in that event. Until then...I HAVE to win, and I'll be prepared as best I can for it."

_"Why IS winning this tourney so important to you?" _DMG questioned, genuinely curious but also slightly worried about what Kaosu may be feeling. _"This seems so...personal to you. What is it about this tourney that has you like this?" _

Kaosu did not turn to reply to her, instead choosing to go with silence as he made some last-minute decisions on which cards he would be using. Once it became clear that he would not respond, DMG simply sighed and sat (at least LOOKING like she sat) on the desk next to Kaosu's position and looked at him with a pout.

_"Fine, don't tell me. But you are always so full of secrets." _She pouted at him.

"Yeah, I get that a lot from people who know me." Kaosu replied with a straight face, though the outlines of a smirk could be seen by DMG. "I have my reasons. Besides, I like the secrets I keep. Makes me feel better and safer in the long run."

_"Well keep your secrets for now, but soon enough, I'm going to find out. After all, we are partners now, and we help each other as best we can." _DMG grinned, and Kaosu only shook his head. _"So until you let me know what this tourney is to you, how about, for once in the night...GO GET SOME SLEEP. Seriously, you are starting to look like you need it badly." _

"Fine, fine, fine DMG. No need to be my mother." Kaosu groaned, holding his hands up defensively. "I was finishing up with the set-up of the decks anyway."

DMG smiled as Kaosu pushed himself out of his seat and made his way to the bed. _"Very good to hear, Kaosu. I really want you to be fully rested so you can be at your best. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Kaosu." _

Kaosu stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the warm smile of DMG that he was beginning to grow fond of, as it always soothed him for some reason. After a few moments of simply staring at her with a calm expression - he REALLY hoped it didn't look or feel awkward with her - he nodded back at DMG, and reached out to the light switch as she began to fade away.

"Good night, Dark Magician Girl..." He said softly before flipping the switch to the lights off, enveloping the room in darkness.

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day...<em>

"Here you go, Kisara...one Dragon Deck for you to use." Kaosu stated as he handed the white-haired girl the deck he had built.

The school day had finally come to an end, and Kaosu had elected that he, Kisara, and Sam would meet up in a street not too far off from the school. He couldn't give the deck to her before or during school because he knew Ms. Wilson would find it off of Kisara and confiscate it. Ms. Wilson could be very thorough when she wanted to be, and took awhile for her students to learn to hide things from her effectively, so it was safer for her to get her cards afterwards. Kisara stared at the deck in her hand with a sense of awe and wonder, looking them over as Kaosu stood in front of her with his usual indifferent expression, hands stuffed in his pockets, all while Sam watched with an intrigued expression on his face as he leaned against a wall.

"...My Dragon Deck...my very own Duel Monsters Dragon Deck..." Kisara softly said before she slowly looked up at Kaosu...and nodded. "Thank you, Kaosu...I can't tell you how happy I am with this." Kisara smiled at him.

"Well, it was a pain in the ass to build, I won't lie." Kaosu shrugged. "Dragons aren't my forte, but I guess it was the least I could do. You weren't going to be able to build a deck right now, soooo...yeah."

"Well again...thank you." Kisara giggled as she looked over what cards she had in her new deck.

"Hey, Kaosu...tell me, is that deck you made her any good?" Sam blinked twice as he watched what was going on.

"The deck she's got was one that I made as basic and simple as I felt was needed." Kaosu replied as he crossed his arms over his chest, Kisara looking over a card front and back as he did so. "She was never going to be able to use a more complicated, and advanced deck, so I built a 'starter' for her, you could say."

"Yeah, I get that, no problem, makes complete sense...but is it ANY GOOD?" Sam emphasized as he narrowed his eyes.

"Well...as I said, Dragons aren't my thing...but I built it as best as I could with the limits I set. It's all up to her and how she uses it, and I can't teach that. That's all on her." Kaosu noted, which caused Kisara to look at him from her card looking with a surprise in her eyes. Meanwhile, Sam mulled on this against the wall.

"Hmmmmmm...I see... Well...how about we teach her that the old-fashioned way?" Sam said as he got off the wall with a smirk. "...With me and her, in a duel right now!"

Kaosu turned to Sam with a surprised look on his face, while Kisara just looked at Sam with wide eyes, an expression of shock having come across her. His grin however never left him despite these reactions, and Kisara gulped a bit as she tried to process that information...

"...Y-You...d-duel me...right now?" Kisara asked slowly.

"Yeah, of course! What else could I possibly mean?! What do you say?" Sam asked with that usual grin of his.

"...Sam...what are you THINKING?" Kaosu asked, almost scolding. "She JUST got her deck, and you are challenging her to a duel here and now off the bat?! She may understand the concepts of the game, but understanding the concepts and knowing how to duel are two ENTIRELY different things, and she doesn't know the latter just yet! Are you really trying to throw her into this so quickly?!"

"Kaosu, you're my pal...but don't protect her so much." Sam asked, a retort with resolve that Kaosu wasn't expecting. "She may not how to duel much, but the only way she'll get to learn how to duel is through experience. She can't get that by constantly watching you, she has to duel some time. And hey...better me be her first opponent than some douchebag that'll likely break her and her spirit with pure destruction." Kaosu was about to open his mouth again, but Sam cut him off. "And before you say what I know you'll say, YOU are way too much to be her first opponent, man. I've seen the plays you pull off, I don't know if you'll be able to go easy on her knowing how you play! At least with me, she'll be able to handle it. I'm realistic about my skills right now, after all..." Sam gave a hearty laugh before turning dead serious. "Come on, Kaosu...let this be a teacher for her."

"...I just don't want her being thrown into too much too soon." Kaosu stated with a conflicted look. "I mean, I've seen duelists that-"

"Kaosu..." Kisara spoke up, catching his attention. "...Let me duel him. I'll be fine."

Kaosu was surprised at Kisara accepting the duel as she did, and even moreso at her look of determination. "...Are you sure, Kisara?'

"Yes...I am. Sam's right, I won't be able to get better without going through a few duels, and I can't just avoid them forever if I want to get to the point I want to get to. And besides...if anyone's going to be my first duel..." Kisara smiled at Sam. "...I'm glad it'll be a friend like Sam."

Sam was surprised by the admission by Kisara, and even gave an embarrassed chuckled a small "Thanks" at those words. Kaosu just sighed, but gave in, knowing that he was overruled in this situation. He began rummaging through his bag and eventually pulled out his Duel Disk, which caught the attention of Sam and Kisara.

"...Well if you two are going to duel, then YOU are going to need a Duel Disk, Kisara. I'll put it on for you..." Kaosu stated as he held her arm and slipped and latch the Duel Disk onto her arm carefully before slipping her deck into the deck slot...all while Kisara just smiled.

"Thank you for lending me your Duel Disk, Kaosu. Don't worry, I'll be just fine. Who knows? Perhaps something good will happen in this duel." Kisara stated.

"Yeah, yeah, just get into position on your side of this duel. Same goes for you, Sam...and go easy on her, will you?" Kaosu questioned with a knowing look in his eyes.

Sam chuckled as he simply gave him a salute and went over to his position as Kisara nodded and went over to her side as well. Kaosu simply went off and stood on the sidelines, hands in pocket as he awaited the start of the duel, silently hoping everything would be alright under his indifferent mask. Soon, Kisara and Sam had reached their positions, and Sam grinned at her.

"Alright, Kisara you ready for your first duel? Could be a ride, you know." Sam told her as he activated his Duel Disk.

"...Yeah, I'm ready." Kisara nodded, though with a bit of nervousness in her tone as she activated her own Duel Disk. "I want to get better, no matter what. So come at me, Sam..."

"Alright then..." Sam said as he drew five cards and so did Kisara.

"LET'S DUEL!" Sam shouted.

**Duel: Kisara Stevens vs Sam Kazui **

**Kisara's LP: 4000**

"Ladies first, Kisara." Sam stated as he held a hand out with a bow to her.

"Thanks, Sam. Alright, I draw a card..." Kisara said to herself as she did that and looked over her hand. "Ummmm...okay, let's see...which ooonnneee...um...I think I'll summon..._The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (ATK: 1300)_. And...I'll end my turn."

Kisara placed the card on her Duel Disk, and on the field came a huge dark green dragon that seemed to have dwelled in caves appeared on the field. It laid on its stomach as its red eyes bored onto Sam as he snouted smoke from its nostrils. Kisara seemed confident in her move...until she saw Sam with a quite surprised look on her face, and then saw Kaosu with a shake of his head.

"Uh...did I do something wrong?" Kisara asked innocently.

"...Kisara...that's...not exactly a monster made for attacking." Sam said as he scratched his head. "In fact, it's more for defending. Hell, it's got high defense points for such a thing."

"But you placed it in Attack Mode rather than Defense Mode, and you left it wide open as you didn't place any facedowns to protect it. So yeah...I guess you could classify it as wrong." Kaosu added with a sigh.

"Oh...I'm sorry. It...didn't occur to me to do any of that. I just...played it." Kisara said as she looked down embarrassed.

"It's fine...just...learn from that, okay? Nothing that can be done about it now." Kaosu closed his eyes.

_"Wow, that was a mistake if I've ever seen one..." _DMG spoke as the Duel Spirit appeared next to Kaosu. _"Leaving herself open to attack with such a monster." _

_"Yeah, rookie mistake, and this is what I was afraid of." _Kaosu replied mentally, now used to DMG appearing out of nowhere like that. _"As I said, she may know the concepts, but how to play the cards is still lost on her. She'll have the cards, but what to do with them is what she isn't sure of. This is supposed to be a learning experience for her...but it's not going to be a pleasant ride, that much I am sure of." _

_"Yes, it's obvious that the girl is going to make a few mistakes here and there. Poor girl's going to have a tough time..." _DMG noted as she watched on.

"Well, Kisara, as much as I want you to learn, I also got to play how I play so you CAN learn. So it's my move." Sam stated as he drew a card. "I place a monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

The placed cards appeared on the field facedown as holograms, and while Kisara didn't seem too fazed by what he did (likely from her lack of experience and realizing what was wrong with it), Kaosu seemed surprised his actions.

_"That's strange...he could have attacked considering how weak her monster was and with no difficulties, but instead chose to play defense. That's not a conventional move." _Kaosu stated mentally with wonder.

_"You're his friend...don't you know his playing style and deck?" _DMG asked.

_"Actually, I don't. The only duel I know he was in ended before I could even see a second of it. So all of that is completely unknown. So this might be part of his style, I don't know." _Kaosu answered.

_"Well, the girl doesn't seem to know better, she's too new to this sort of situation. And I think we're about to find out that style right now." _DMG proclaimed as she looked at Kisara.

"Okay...my turn, I think." Kisara said as she drew a card. "Okay, let's see...you have a monster in Defense... So I'll attack with _The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave! _Attack his facedown!"

Kaosu's eyes widened at the reckless and obviously rookie attack. "Kisara, wait...!"

But it was too late as the dragon snorted through its nostrils as it opened its moutn and fired a stream of fire at the facedown card before breathing fire down at the card, engulfing it. Kisara smiled happily at what her dragon was able to do, but it soon turned to shock as she saw that the fire was somehow being deflected...by a medium-sized shield.

"What...what's going on?" Kisara asked in surprise. "Why isn't your monster being destroyed?"

"Simple...because the monster you attacked was _Mid Shield Gardna (DEF: 1800)_!" Sam proclaimed. "And he's more than strong enough to defend against your dragon!"

Indeed, a man with long brown hair, and a green headband over his forehead which covered his eyes and a green short-sleeved shirt holding back the flames with a green, blue, and yellow shield on his forearms. The dragon blew its flames with all its might, but the man held strong and suddenly dispersed the flames with a great push of his shield, remaining fully intact.

"Mid Shield Gardna's Defense Points were much higher than your Dragon's attacks point, so it was able to withstand the assault! And because of that, you also lose a portion of your Life Points... Sorry Kisara, but you really shouldn't have attacked like that..." Sam stated with a sad tone.

**Kisara's LP: 3500 **

Kisara seemed taken back by this sudden development, as if not anticipating that his defensive monster would be so strong, and began looking through her hand to try and figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, Kaosu and DMG just watched her, and Kaosu just sighed.

_"Another rookie mistake...attacking with no plan in mind. Kisara really is green when it comes to Dueling." _Kaosu stated mentally.

_"I guess it's true that you can have knowledge about certain things, but unless you know how to apply them and are experienced with it, that knowledge might as well be useless." _DMG noted with a sad look in her eye. _"She's trying so hard, but she seems so confused... Kaosu, say something. Can't just leave her like that..." _

_"Right...Kisara deserves more than that." _Kaosu nodded before speaking out loud. "Kisara...don't leave yourself open like last turn. Don't let this be how your turn ends...make sure your protected."

"Huh? What?" Kisara suddenly spoke up from her slight panicking, surprised by Kaosu's sudden input, before slowly calming down and taking it in. She then looked at her hand. "Ummmm...well...I think...uh...I'll place...THIS card facedown... And end my turn..."

Kisara's card appeared on the field, and Kaosu nodded in approval of that move, but also noted the nervousness when she played the card. Meanwhile, Sam was ready to make his next move.

"Alright, my turn!" Sam stated as he drew his card. "Okay...I think I'll take it easy since it's you, Kisara, and place one card facedown on the field and end my turn. Your move, Kisara."

Sam's card appeared on the field, and even Kisara seemed a bit confused by the move. Even with her rookie mistakes, she seemed to expect a bit more from Sam. And Kaosu...well, he was perplexed.

_"This time just a facedown...not even another monster summoned. I've never seen this sort of dueling style before...what's Sam up to?" _Kaosu questioned.

"Okay...I draw." Kisara stated as she did just that, and then her eyes widened upon seeing what it is.

_"This monster...it's got a high attack point total. It could destroy his monster, and give me an opening...but I feel like I could do more. But what can I do? Wait..." _Kisara thought as she looked at her hand more closely. _"That card... Now that I fully notice the card, I think I could use it! Yes...yes, if I play these two cards together, I'll have a monster that could possibly break through any future defense of his. Will it? Well...worth a shot." _

"Alright...I summon _Luster Dragon (ATK: 1900) _in Attack Mode!" Kisara proclaimed.

A meaning, hard-skinned blue dragon covered in sapphire with very sharp teeth, bright yellow eyes, and strong thick wings appeared beside the Dragon already on the field, staring down Mid Shield Garnda on the field. However, that wasn't ALL that Kisara had in mind for this turn.

"And now...I shall equip Luster Dragon with _Dragon's Treasure! _According to this Spell Card, by equipping it to a Dragon-Type monster, that Dragon will gain 300 Atacck Points, and I'm going to give those points to my Luster Dragon!" Kisara proclaimed.

Luster Dragon felt the power surge through him as the image of the Dragon's Treasure appeared before it until it was absorbed into it and gave a loud roar as his power increased. _Luster Dragon (ATK: 1900 + 300 = 2200) _

"And with this, this makes Luster Dragon strong enough to take out any monster you put in front of it!" Kisara stated.

"Not bad, Kisara...not bad. Nice way to prepare for any monster after this..." Kaosu nodded.

"Luster Dragon, attack! Destroy his Mid Shield Gardna!" Kisara ordered as her dragon charged at the Gardna.

"...That was definitely a good move, Kisara, but I can't let you do that! Because you forget, I got a facedown on the field! I activate my Trap Card, _D2 Shield!" _Sam proclaimed, activating that card.

"Trap card?!" Kisara exclaimed in shock.

"Yep, and with this card, I can take one face-up Defense Position monster on my side of the field, and DOUBLE its original Defense Points. And guess which monster that'll happen to be this time around? Yeah, it's my Mid Shield Gardna! So take the double-up, buddy!" Sam shouted.

Mid Shield Gardna's began to glow, and suddenly its shield began to grow larger and larger as his power grew and the dragon came closer. _Mid Shield Gardna (DEF: 1800 x 2 = 3600)_ when the dragon came in for a final lunge, it crashed SMACKED DAB into the now large shield, creating a small shockwave from hard it was, and after a bit of a struggle, Mid Shield Gardna pushed the dragon back into its original position. Kisara seemed damn-near floored at what just happened, barely registering the drop in life points she had.

**Kisara's LP: 2100 **

"SAM!" Kaosu suddenly shouted, catching Sam's attention unexpectedly. "I TOLD you to take it easy on her! What was THAT?! You damn near took out a giant chunk of her Life Points and left her shellshocked right on her feet! What are you thinking?! She's still a rookie, and this sort of thing isn't helping ma-"

"Kaosu...I AM taking it easy on her..." Sam spoke out of nowhere, nothing but honesty in his tone. Kaosu was shocked by both his words AND his tone. "...Yeah, maybe the last move WAS a bit much for her, but I could've done more with what I got in my hand. I am going easy on her, but I'm not just gonna let her do whatever. She needs to learn, and the only way she'll learn...is if she goes through a bit of struggle. You know that, Kaosu...so don't baby her...trust me, man."

"...Dammit...you better not pull a stunt like that AGAIN, Sam." Kaosu gritted his teeth, simply conceding to Sam for now as he continued to watch.

_"...Defense." _DMG spoke up as she appeared, taking Kaosu a bit by surprise in his frustrated state. _"That's his dueling style. He runs on defense and dealing damage from that defense. The fact that he hasn't attacked and all done things from Defense Mode proves that."_

_"Yeah, it's obvious he goes by the mantra 'A strong offense is a good defense.'"_ Kaosu replied mentally. _"He lures opponents into attack, and lets the Defense Points do the damage, with his traps and spells making sure that happens. An unconventional way of dueling, but one that works if done right. I'm trusting Sam to do this teaching duel right...but I hope Kisara can find a way to handle this right." _

"Alright...seems that it for you, Kisara, so it's my turn!" Sam stated as he drew a card. "I set a Monster facedown in Defense Mode, and then place one card facedown on the field. Your move, Kisara..."

However, Kisara still seemed a bit shellshocked at the heavy hit in Life Points she took as well as how easily she was countered. That wasn't something she was used to, and it really took a chunk out of her confidence levels. Kaosu noticed how long it took for her to regain herself and spoke up in order to snap her out of it.

"Kisara! Calm down!" Kaosu stated, suddenly catching her attention. "Look...I know you took a big hit, and that wasn't something you were expecting...but the duel isn't over yet. You can still do something, and that's what matters, right? So get a hold of yourself, learn from this, and make your move. It's not the end...not yet."

Kisara listened to the advice of Kaosu closely, closing her eyes as she did so, and they slowly soothed her. _"He's right...Kaosu's right. I can't let this keep me down. I NEED to get better, and if I have to go through this, then so be it...but I won't be a weak duelist. I got to do something this turn...I know I have to." _

"Alright, Kaosu...I understand. I'll make sure this turn counts, I promise that. My move!" Kisara exclaimed as she drew her card, and she froze upon seeing the card.

_"...Shield and Sword! This card...if I remember correctly, this card is very powerful with its effect, and considering the position and points of his monster...yes, I could use this! ...But wait...there's got to be MORE I can do with this...I'll just get rid of his monster, that's all. And knowing how Sam's been in this duel, that just won't work. What else can I do? There's got to be someth-_" Kisara's train of thought stopped for a moment as her eyes laid on her facedown. _"My facedown card! I forgot I placed that there a few turns ago! I did it just to follow Kaosu's instructions, but...if I can remember correctly then it..." _Kisara's eyes widened as she FINALLY recalled what the card did, and then began looking through her hand, and saw a PARTICULAR card in her hand. She then began alternating between looking at the three cards over and over. _"This...this could ACTUALLY work. It just might..." _

As she looked at her particular cards, Sam just blinked twice from his position in the duel, a bit bewildered by Kisara's behavior and constant look-switching at cards as if her head was on rotation. Even Kaosu raised an eyebrow at Kisara, wondering what she could possibly be thinking. Eventually, when Kisara wasn't showing any signs of stopping, Sam eventually spoke up.

"Ummmm...Kisara...it's...your move..." Sam pointed out, bewilderment obviously in his tone.

This broke Kisara out of her loop and back to reality, and when she realized what was going on...she smiled. "Yeah, it's my move...and I'm about to do something you won't see coming. I may be new to Duel Monsters, and I may make rookie mistakes, I may not know everything...but I'll get better! I'll show everybody that I can be a good duelist! And it starts here with this... In order to summon this monster, I'm going to sacrifice The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave and Luster Dragon!" The two dragons gave roars before they were shattered to pieces. "And with them sacrificed, I now summon..._Hyozanryu (ATK: 2100)!" _

A bright light engulfed the area as a giant diamond began to come up from the ground and stood over everyone, and after a few moments, it began to crack over. It then shattered into pieces as something emerged from it in glorious fashion. It was a dragon that seemed made out of pure diamond, its body sparkling with blinding light, a beautiful as an orange streak went up its belly and neck. It had a yellow diamond horn as its nose, and even two horns on its head made of the very same gems, as well as claws on its head. It stared down Sam and his monster as it stood tall over all of them all, and Sam looked on in wonder.

"...Wow...I got to admit...that's a pretty cool monster, I won't lie. Damn, Kaosu got you one hell of a card..." Sam admitted.

_"As pretty as the monster is..." _DMG began as she popped up beside Kaosu. _"It only has 2100 attack points, and it was weaker than Luster Dragon when it was equipped with Dragon's Treasure. So why would Kisara do this? ...Unless she has something in mind..." _Kaosu said nothing, but he obviously had the same thought process.

"...Okay, enough eyeing that monster. It's cool and impressive, I won't lie, Kisara, but it still can't get past my Mid Shield Gardna thanks to D2 Shield! Don't know how it's going to help you..." Sam told her.

"Oh, it's about to help in more ways than one, and you're about to find out why." Kisara smiled. "I activate the Spell, _Shield and Sword!" _

"WHAT?! ...Oh crap!" Sam cursed.

"According to the power of this card, when activated, Shield and Sword will switch the Attack and Defense Points of every face-up monster on the field for the rest of the turn!" Kisara explained. "And you know what that means..."

The power of Shield and Sword began to take effect as static appeared around both the Gardna and Hyozanryu, the switching happening before them. As it did, Gardna's shield slowly shrunk until it was as small as it possibly could be on his arm and his body sagged in its defensive position. _Mid Shield Gardna (DEF: 100) _And as that happened, Hyozanryu began glowing a bright light, the sparkling from its diamond becoming even more bright as a result as it gave a great roar. _Hyozanryu (ATK: 2800) _

"My Gardna's crappy attack strength becomes its defense power, while Hyozanryu becomes even more powerful thanks to that effect. There goes my powerful defense..." Sam stated.

"And that's not at all!" Kisara smiled once more.

"Not all?!" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, because I just remember what my facedown card can do! I was unable to use it because I was so caught up in everything, but I think I got it now! I activate my Trap Card, _Dragon's Rage!" _

"Ah CRAP..." Sam stated.

_"That's it!" _Kaosu mentally proclaimed as he watched the duel with intrigue.

"With this Trap Card in effect, now anytime a Dragon of mine attacks and destroys a defense position monster of yours, the difference will come out of your life points!" Kisara stated, joy starting to become evident in her voice. "And thanks to Shield and Sword, that card effect can now be used to its full advantage!"

"Oh, I am not going to enjoy this next attack..." Sam noted as he waited for the inevitable.

"Hyozanryu, attack! Destroy his Mid Shield Gardna with **Diamond Horn Strike!" **Sam ordered.

At her order, Hyozanryu's horn began to glow brighter as its eye began to burn red as rage began to take it over due to the Trap Card's effect. As the horn glow as bright as it possibly could, Hyozanryu gave a giant angry roar as it charged toward the Gardna, and when it got close, it pierced its horn with a big blast right through the Mid Shield Gardna, destroying it into tiny glass pieces. Sam held his arm to brace himself as the explosion happened, and his Life Points took a MAJOR hit.

**Sam's LP: 1300 **

"...It worked...It...worked..." Kisara blinked a few times, taking what happened in...then smiled the biggest smile possible, joy now overwhelming her usually quiet and soft self. "IT WORKED! I actually managed to pull it off! Oh, I was so hoping it would work out! I actually did something right! I thinking I'm starting to get the hang of this now!"

_"That was a pretty good move by her, considering she's a rookie...she used Sam's own dueling style and had it work against him to cause some major damage." _DMG noted with a smile on her face. _"I got to say, I'm impressed." _

_"Yeah, that was good thinking on the spot for her. She may be a rookie, and she's bound to make amateur mistakes...but a move like that proves to me...that she's got potential. She just needs to harness it." _Kaosu stated.

"Dang...I did NOT see that coming at all. You REALLY got me there, Kisara. Man, I lost nearly 3000 points in one shot. But I ain't done yet here." Sam stated as he drew his card and looked at it. "Kisara...you did well. You did really well, you certainly learned a few tricks...but it's time to end this duel."

"Huh?" Kisara asked innocently. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the teaching duel is about to end, and I'm sorry for what I'm going to do next..." Sam sighed. "First off, I sacrifirce my facedown monster..." the card shattered into pieces. "...in order to summon my favorite, _Total Defense Shogun (DEF: 2500)!" _

Soon enough, a large man with metal armor all over his naked body especially the shoulder guards appeared on the field. His flowing red cape swung with the wind as he stood on the field, two giant swords sheathed and strapped to his back as if just extra insurance should he ever need them. His third sword was in his right hand, held up easily while a giant shield was held in his left hand, ready to defend against whatever came at him.

_"I remember that card...that card was the one that I got back for him when he lost it to Jack. And if that card is Sam's ace card...then I think things may be over soon for Kisara." _Kaosu noted mentally.

"And now I activate my facedown card, _Rush Recklessly! _And with this Spell Card, my Total Defense Shogun gains an additional 700 Attack Points until the end of the turn." Sam proclaimed, watching as Total Defense Shogun had a red aura envelop him, increasing his strength. _Total Defense Shogun (ATK: 1550 + 700 = 2250) _

"Huh? But why do that? It's in Defense Mode, so it's Attack Points don't mean much right now." Kisara stated in a curious manner.

"But see, that's the power of Total Defense Shogun, and why defense is the way to go! See, his Special Ability is unique, because it allows him to attack even when he's in a defensive position!" Sam stated.

"Wait, so that means he can attack even if he's in Defense Mode?!" Kisara questioned.

"Yeah, and now I play the Spell, _Double Attack!" _Sam said as he placed the card in the Disk. "This card is very nifty, because with it, I discard one Monster in my hand, and I can choose a Monster on the field that has a Level lower than it and it can attack twice. So I'll discard _Stone Dragon _from my hand, which is Level 7, and apply my card's effect to Total Defense Shogun, who is Level 6!"

"Oh no...that means that Total Defense Shogun can not only attack Hyozanryu, but also me as well!" Kisara exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Exactly. You did well, Kisara, better than I think we thought you would in the end, but I got to end this! Total Defense Shogun, slice her dragon down to size!" Sam exclaimed.

The Total Defense Shogun readied itself as he heard his duelist's command before charging right at the dragon with a might roar. Hyozanryu just roared in response and charged toward the Shogun itself and thrust its horn at the warrior. Total Defense Shogun however raised his shield, and blocked the diamond horn of the dragon, knocking it back before he swung his blade as hard as he could, slashing Hyozanryu into two before it shattered into piece. Kisara shielded herself as her Life Points went down.

**Kisara's LP: 1950 **

"And now, Total Defense Shogun, end this duel! Attack one more time, and this time, attack her Life Points directly!" Sam ordered.

A bright aura glowed around Total Defense Shogun briefly before it allowed him to charge once more, this time at Kisara. The warrior held up his blade as it glowed brightly with energy before swinging it down at Kisara, striking her and engulfing her in the energy. Kisara slightly cried out before falling onto her back as the rest of her Life Points dropped down to zero.

**Kisara's LP: 0 **

**Winner: Sam Kazui **

_"...She did good." _DMG noted to Kaosu as they watched the end of the duel. _"Yeah, she may have lost in the end in decisive fashion...but she did good. And I think that's what matters most right now." _

_"Yeah, she showed me one thing...she CAN be a great duelist. She showed flashes of brilliance...she just needs time to become that great duelist. And me and Sam...we'll help her get to that point, if she's willing to put in the time and the effort." _Kaosu replied.

_"Watching her grow is going to be so interesting." _DMG giggled. _"These next few weeks are sure going to be interesting on so many levels..." _

_"Tell me about it." _Kaosu replied as DMG's presence disappeared.

Kisara still lied on the ground with her eyes still closed, the realization coming that she had lost her first duel. A wave of disappointment hit her as she really hoped to do more in the duel, and she felt she really failed in what she set out to do. Suddenly, she felt somebody standing over her, and opened her eyes to see Sam standing over her with a smile on his face and a hand held out to her.

"Hey...need a hand?" Sam asked with a grin.

Kisara blinked twice at seeing this sight, but after a few moments, she offered a small smile in return for the help as she grabbed his hand. Sam then pulled her up to her feet with ease considering her light weight. Kisara almost stumbled at how easily she was pulled up, but managed to keep her balance.

"Man, Kisara, I got to admit, you really got me there." Sam said with a chuckle as he placed his hands behind head.

"What do you mean? I got beat so decisively just now, and I made so many mistakes during the duel..." Kisara said sadly as she looked down.

"Well, yeah, but you didn't let that keep you down, and look what you managed to do. I mean, powering up Luster Dragon to try and take down future defenses was good, and what about your LAST move?! I mean, dang, you took out a GIANT chunk of my Life Points! Hell, I think you took out nearly three-fourths of it! That move was pretty damn good, can't remember the last time someone used my defense against me! Haha, I got to say, that was some smart playing right there!" Sam laughed.

Kisara looked up at Sam with surprise in her eyes. "Really? You really liked my last move that much?"

"Of course I did! How can I not when the whole purpose of the duel was to help you learn?! And man, did you pick up stuff quick! Yeah, you got a few kinks to work out, but you definitely got something to ya! I can feel it!" Sam grinned.

"Wow...thanks Sam...I don't know what to say..." Kisara said softly.

"Then don't say anything, you don't need to." Kaosu said as he walked up to the two. "This duel was to give you your first experience as a Duelist, and it did just that. I won't lie, you are VERY green, you've got a lot of problems to work out..." Kisara held her head down sadly...until Kaosu placed his hand on her shoulder. "...but you're on the right path, Kisara."

"...Thanks, Kaosu. That means a lot to me. I'll be honest, as much as I wanted to try this out, I was a little...nervous...about if I would enjoy this..." Kisara admitted as she looked at them. "I was afraid that I wouldn't like it at all when I finally got to playing it. But...despite losing, and all my mistakes...I think I had fun just now." Kisara smiled warmly. "I think I'm going to enjoy Duel Monsters quite a bit."

"That's good to hear, Kisara. Good to hear... Me and Sam will make sure that you get all the help you get in order to improve your skills. Though you'll have to deal with my time being limited as I got to spend a portion of my time training and planning." Kaosu informed Kisara.

"Oh right, the tournament! You got that in a few weeks!" Sam stated. "Hey, you gonna go into one of those isolation deals while being some mysterious dude so you can get stronger and stronger?"

"Shut up, Sam, and get your mind out of fantasy." Kaosu deadpanned, while Kisara just giggled at the antics before her. Kaosu looked up to the sky and sighed. The next few weeks were going to be busy and hectic for him. But that's the price he had to pay in order to do what he had to do...

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><p><em>Several Weeks Later... <em>

The sun was shining brightly down on the airpot as it bustled busily within, people coming and go through the airport in order to get their destinations, whether they be in the city they were in, or whether they were about to leave for another. People came for their plane tickets, and were either waiting at the gates, or just getting off the planes. It was an always busy place as was to be expected, and sitting near one of the airport gates was one Kaosu Cross, leaning back in his seat with his bag next to him, legs crossed as he listened to some music through some headphones on an iPod.

_"Another tragedy in the news... Someone shooting down the right to choose... It doesn't seem at all they chose the right way..." _Kaosu quietly sang to himself, eyes closed as he drowned himself in his music as his hands were behind his head as he relaxed.

"Kaosu?" A voice spoke up a bit loud in order to get his attention.

Kaosu managed to hear the voice over his headphones and pulled them out as he turned his head. He was met with the vision of his mother, Lexa Cross, standing to the right of him with his sister, Kyuui Cross, holding hands with her as Lexa held some bags.

"The plane to San Francisco is finally here, and everyone's starting to board it. We should get on it ourselves right now as well, son, if we don't want to miss it." Lexa told her son.

"Yeah, man, we got to get going now, we didn't come here for nothing, you know." Kaosu turned to see a grinning Sam with a slightly smiling Kisara to his left, also holding their own bags, Sam slinging his over his shoulder. "I mean, you don't want to miss the tournament you're actually a part of, man. Now that's just rude. So why don't you get up and let's get going?"

"Fine, fine, give me a second. Trust me, I wasn't going to miss this flight one bit." Kaosu noted with a roll of his eyes before grabbing his own bag as he stood up.

"YAAAAYYY! Big brother is going down awesome in the tournament! I know he will!" Kyuui exclaimed, giving out the biggest smile she possibly could, which earned a chuckle from her older brother.

"What do you think's going to happen when we get there, Kaosu?" Kisara asked out of pure curiosity; she had never been a part of anything like this before.

"Honestly? I have no idea, Kisara." Kaosu stated with a shrug as he stood. "But knowing my luck so far...just about ANYTHING is likely to happen. And I'm ready for it, know that."

Kaosu looked at all the people that were now going with him as he was about to embark on this trip. Sam with his usual energetic grin, Kisara with her innocent but supportive expression, his mother with her usual motherly love and happiness for him, and Kyuui with the biggest and cutest smile you could ever see on a child. He then glanced to right beside him, where he saw Dark Magician Girl with her own smile towards him.

_"I am right beside you through this, Kaosu. Every step of the way. So what are you waiting for?" _DMG asked in a playful manner, and Kaosu just nodded before turning away.

"Let's go everybody. Time to say hell to San Francisco."

Kaosu then walked over to the gate entrance to the place while everyone else followed him, and all the while, a thought ran through his head.

_"I'm going to get through whoever is put in my way, no matter who it is. I will face him, and I will get back what was taken from me. It's time to put it to rest." _

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><p><em>AN: Man, how long has it been since I last updated this? Long time, I know. I lost inspiration for this as I got into some of my other stories, so I'm very sorry. But I got inspiration for this again when I began watching the series again, and this has surprisingly become one of my most popular stories based on hits, favs, and alerts, so I thought I finally get this chapter done after so long. Don't expect speedy updates, I got college, and I can be a lazy guy, but I promise to get updates whenever possible. Hopefully, this chapter is worth the wait, I am sorry everyone, and I hope you enjoy the story being back. I am willing to take any ideas, suggestions, or even OCs for perhaps a future appearance or even duel, just PM me about it. Cookie for anyone who gets what the song Kaosu was singing to himself at the end. Make sure to review this chapter in the end because reviews are loved._

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><p><em>Kisara's first-ever duel ended in defeat, but her promise shown in the duel has showed that one day she could be a great duelist. And now, it is time to head to San Francisco for the American Duel Monster Championships. Will Kaosu be able to hang with the best the country has to offer? Will Kisara be able to reach her full potential as a duelist? And what is it that Kaosu seeks to reclaim? Find out on the next Yu-Gi-Oh!: Sacred Darkness.<em>


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